Mexican Senate Approves Major Judicial Overhaul in Historic Midnight Session
Mexico City, Mexico — In a late-night session that concluded just before dawn, the Mexican Senate voted to approve a sweeping judicial reform bill, meaning that for the first time in the nation's modern history, all federal judges will be elected by popular vote, effectively restructuring the entire judiciary branch.
Who: The Mexican Senate, acting on a proposal from President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration.
What: Approved a constitutional reform requiring the direct election of judges, including Supreme Court justices.
When: The bill was passed during a marathon session early this morning, local time, following a 24-hour debate.
Where: At the Senate chambers in Mexico City, Mexico.
Why: Proponents argue the reform is necessary to combat corruption and elitism within the judiciary, while critics warn it threatens judicial independence and the rule of law.
The vote, which passed by a margin of 86 to 42, has ignited widespread protests across major cities in Mexico, with legal experts and opposition leaders calling the move a dangerous concentration of executive power. Analysts are now closely monitoring how this unprecedented shift in Mexico's governance will impact foreign investment and diplomatic relations in the coming months.