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4d ago

Indigenous lawyer Hugo Aguilar tops vote in Mexico’s first Supreme Court election

The low 13% turnout highlights voter confusion in a complex process critics warn undermines judicial independence.

A member of the National Electoral Institute arranges votes after polling stations closed in Mexico City on Sunday.
A woman casts a vote during the judicial and magistrate elections in San Bartolome Quialana in Mexico's Oaxaca state on Sunday.
Indigenous lawyer and Human Rights defender, Hugo Aguilar, delivers a speech during a rally in support of his candidacy as Justice of Mexico's Supreme Court of Justice (SCJN), ahead of the judicial and magistrate election, in San Agustin Tlacotepec, Oaxaca state, Mexico May 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jorge Luis Plata
A man walks past a newspaper stand the day after judicial elections in Mexico

Overview

  • With 90% of ballots tallied by June 3, Aguilar had 5.15 million votes (5.22%), leading Lenia Batres who garnered 4.89 million (4.96%).
  • Most of the nine Supreme Court posts are expected to be filled by candidates linked to the ruling Morena party.
  • Aguilar is a Mixtec lawyer from Oaxaca and has served as lead rights coordinator for the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples since 2018.
  • President Claudia Sheinbaum praised Aguilar’s credentials and noted he would be the first Indigenous justice since Benito Juarez, framing the vote as a step toward equal access to justice.
  • Critics have decried the 13% turnout and complex ballot system, warning the vote could politicize the judiciary and undermine judicial independence.