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SCJN Chief Defends Judicial Reform at UNAM as Students Challenge Selection Process

Former justices said congressional overrepresentation sped the overhaul and argued its outcomes will only be clear after years of casework.

Overview

  • Supreme Court president Hugo Aguilar Ortiz argued the 2024 reform returns power to citizens and said the Court’s independence and internal freedom of debate are guaranteed.
  • UNAM law students confronted Aguilar over alleged use of “acordeones” in the selection of judges, questioned the competence of recent appointees, and pressed him on supposed Morena ties that he declined to address before leaving.
  • At a separate UNAM forum, exCourt president Norma Piña called the rapid change a “perfect storm” driven by congressional overrepresentation and said sitting justices did everything possible to defend the judiciary.
  • Retired minister Jorge Mario Pardo Rebolledo said there are no open proceedings sanctioning members of the Federal Judiciary and cautioned that it is too early to judge the new configuration.
  • TEPJF magistrate Felipe de la Mata urged replacing the lottery-style “tómbola,” improving voter information and ballot design, and estimated it could take a decade to assess whether the selection model improves justice.