The full bench of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) has agreed that on November 5, it will proceed with the review of the project presented by Minister Juan Luis González Alcántara Carrancá regarding the constitutionality of the judicial reform that includes the popular election of judges, magistrates, and ministers.
Minister González's project proposes the invalidity of the popular election of judges and magistrates, maintaining only the current selection method for ministers of the Court and magistrates of the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary (TEPJF). He points out that certain elements of the judicial reform, approved at the end of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's term, are unconstitutional, sparking protests and a labor strike by federal judiciary workers.
A relevant point in the project is the criticism of the "faceless judges" proposed for legal processes in organized crime cases, arguing that such systems limit transparency and the ability for adequate defense. The full bench of the SCJN agrees that protecting the identity of judges goes against the guarantees of due process, affecting the accused's right to present an adequate defense by preventing the raising of grounds for objection.
