The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, has rejected the proposal of Supreme Court Justice Juan Luis González Alcántara Carrancá to partially invalidate the election of judges and magistrates by popular vote, arguing that this goes against the Constitution. During her morning press conference, Sheinbaum criticized those who have decided not to participate in the electoral process of the Judiciary in June 2025, stating that their behavior will be evaluated by the people at a crucial moment for the country.
The proposal presented by Alcántara Carrancá aims to reduce the renewal of the Judiciary to the election of ministers, eliminating the voting for magistrates and judges. The Mexican president emphasized that this could violate Article 135 of the Constitution and highlighted that eight of the 11 justices of the Court are in favor of invalidating the judicial reform. Sheinbaum stressed that the justices do not have the authority to legislate on the Constitution and can only indicate whether there was a "bad procedure".
Recently, justices Jorge Mario Pardo Rebolledo and Alfredo Gutiérrez Ortiz Mena resigned from the SCJN, and it is expected that another five justices, including the president of the Court, Norma Piña, will follow their example. Only three justices have expressed interest in participating in the electoral process, and the judicial reform establishes that justices who do not run or are not elected will lose the right to a retirement pension, unless they submit their resignation before the close of the call.
The electoral process in the Supreme Court occurs at a time of debates about judicial independence and transparency in the economic benefits for high-ranking officials in the Judiciary. Claudia Sheinbaum urged those involved to respect the Constitution and to consider the importance of this moment of transformation for the country.
