As per reports, on Wednesday (11 September), Mexico’s Senate passed a controversial judicial reform that mandates judges, magistrates, and Supreme Court justices be elected by popular vote. This legislation, backed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, aims to increase accountability but faces criticism for potentially undermining the judiciary’s independence.

• The Senate vote, held late on Tuesday (10 September) night, was disrupted by protests. Demonstrators stormed the chamber, chanting slogans against the reform, causing a temporary halt in the debate. Voting proceeded in a different building early Wednesday (11 September) morning.
• The reform secured the necessary two-thirds majority for constitutional change after Senator Miguel Ángel Yunes of the opposition National Action Party broke ranks and supported the bill.
• The reform includes provisions for faceless judges to handle cases involving organised crime, intended to protect judges from threats. However, rights organisations argue that this could undermine defendants’ rights to a fair trial by making it difficult to assess potential conflicts of interest.