On June 1, 2025, Mexico will elect judges for the first time - an unprecedented move that will reshape the country's justice system. Here’s why it matters in Mexico and beyond.
Thank you for this incredibly well-researched article about judicial reform. As predicted, voter turn-out was extremely low this past weekend. I heard stories of people voting based on factors like "vote for whoever has a Ph.D." instead of understanding what each candidate brings to the table as a whole (experience, not just credentials). But with a pool of thousands of candidates from which to choose, how can we voters possibly be well-informed enough to make the right selections? It's a lot of power to put in the hands of people who may not really know what's best.
You hit the nail on the head, Karla! With many candidates to choose from, combined with a complex ballot, fewer polling locations, and generally less information about the election... all resulted in low voter turnout. Preliminary data from the INE shows that this was the lowest voter turnout in an election since 1994. Will be interesting to see what happens in the next judicial elections in 2027.
Are judicial appoints in US Federal courts not also political? When I read any discussion of a federal ruling, the president who appointed the judge, or the party under which the judge was appointed, is always mentioned.
And, as it is, the federal judiciary in Mexico handles only a small fraction of court precedings...at the most 15% according to estimates (from my cursory AI searches). As an experiment, yes, unprecedented, and a perhaps FUBAR ballot process, but I wouldn't be so quick -- as US observers are -- to dismiss the process as "undemocratic" when it's quite the opposite, taking the judiciary out of the hands of political parties and special interest pleadings.
You’re right that judicial appointments aren’t apolitical. However, choosing judges by popular vote seems to open Pandora’s Box for new challenges in Mexico’s judicial system....While tackling corruption and strengthening accountability are crucial, I’m not convinced that judicial elections are the best way forward, especially given forecasts for low voter turnout, confusing ballots, and already reported allegations of corruption and manipulation during the campaign period.
Allegations of corruption and manipulation are SOP in every election here, so nothing really novel in that. A low turnout would be expected in any "off-year" election, and isn't necessarily a disqualifier... think of your local US schoolboard or judicial elections (in the24 states that have them).
One expects (maybe a forlorn hope), round two next year will see a more understandable ballot.
Thank you for this incredibly well-researched article about judicial reform. As predicted, voter turn-out was extremely low this past weekend. I heard stories of people voting based on factors like "vote for whoever has a Ph.D." instead of understanding what each candidate brings to the table as a whole (experience, not just credentials). But with a pool of thousands of candidates from which to choose, how can we voters possibly be well-informed enough to make the right selections? It's a lot of power to put in the hands of people who may not really know what's best.
You hit the nail on the head, Karla! With many candidates to choose from, combined with a complex ballot, fewer polling locations, and generally less information about the election... all resulted in low voter turnout. Preliminary data from the INE shows that this was the lowest voter turnout in an election since 1994. Will be interesting to see what happens in the next judicial elections in 2027.
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Are judicial appoints in US Federal courts not also political? When I read any discussion of a federal ruling, the president who appointed the judge, or the party under which the judge was appointed, is always mentioned.
And, as it is, the federal judiciary in Mexico handles only a small fraction of court precedings...at the most 15% according to estimates (from my cursory AI searches). As an experiment, yes, unprecedented, and a perhaps FUBAR ballot process, but I wouldn't be so quick -- as US observers are -- to dismiss the process as "undemocratic" when it's quite the opposite, taking the judiciary out of the hands of political parties and special interest pleadings.
You’re right that judicial appointments aren’t apolitical. However, choosing judges by popular vote seems to open Pandora’s Box for new challenges in Mexico’s judicial system....While tackling corruption and strengthening accountability are crucial, I’m not convinced that judicial elections are the best way forward, especially given forecasts for low voter turnout, confusing ballots, and already reported allegations of corruption and manipulation during the campaign period.
Allegations of corruption and manipulation are SOP in every election here, so nothing really novel in that. A low turnout would be expected in any "off-year" election, and isn't necessarily a disqualifier... think of your local US schoolboard or judicial elections (in the24 states that have them).
One expects (maybe a forlorn hope), round two next year will see a more understandable ballot.