The minister of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN), Juan Luis González Alcántara Carrancá, has presented a proposal to invalidate the election by popular vote of local and federal judges, proposing instead to maintain the method of election of Supreme Court ministers and magistrates of the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judicial Power (TEPJF). The reform of the Judiciary that will be put to a vote before the SCJN plenary establishes that the elections to choose judges by popular vote will be held on the first Sunday of June 2025, as well as the vacancies of the TEPJF and all members of the new Judicial Discipline Tribunal that will replace the Federal Judicial Council.
The draft amendment published by the minister argues that certain aspects of the Judiciary reform are unconstitutional, generating criticism from judiciary workers, including judges, regarding the changes implemented, especially concerning the election of positions through popular vote. In addition to the proposal to modify the election system, González Alcántara seeks to eliminate the figure of "faceless judges," which was originally implemented to protect judges from organized crime.
This measure, although created with good intentions, has been criticized for its potential use in authoritarian regimes to persecute opponents and violate human rights. The Judiciary Reform was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) on September 15, during the administration of then-president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, with the current president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, as a witness.
