Jufed creates block against popular election of judges; threatens work stoppage

Fernando Camacho, Gustavo Castillo and Iván Evair Saldaña

The newspaper La Jornada
Wednesday, August 14, 2024, p. 4

The National Association of Circuit Magistrates and District Judges of the Judicial Branch of the Federation (Jufed) announced that it could call for a work stoppage in protest of the eventual approval of the judicial reform in the terms in which it was presented by Morena and its allies, in particular with regard to the election of judges, ministers and magistrates by popular vote.

The members of the Judiciary today validly form this coalition for the defense of judicial independence and, if appropriate, we will agree to the temporary suspension of work, in exercise of a right of maximum rank.said Judge Juana Fuentes Velázquez, national director of Jufed.

A worker of the Judiciary who asked not to be identified indicated that in the headquarters of said instance, votes are being held to decide whether the eventual strike will take place on August 19 or September 1, which is the fateful date.

During a rally held on Tuesday afternoon outside the San Lázaro headquarters of the Federal Judicial Council, Fuentes Velázquez said that the decision to stop work by those who head courts and tribunals The staff who work with us have joined us, who share the concern for the future of justice.

He stressed that The suspension of work, as a last resort, would be used with the sole purpose of ensuring that the reform is comprehensive and the product of maximum consensus between the legislative majorities and the other social actors..

In that tone, he indicated that We have already proceeded to plan and execute the steps that will allow us to decree it when it becomes necessary. We will inform the public in due time about the collective decisions that are taken in the following days..

In a rally held on the steps of the entrance to the building, amidst slogans such as The judiciary, a national counterweight and If the people are informed, the reform will not passFuentes Velázquez stressed that the judges We call on the incoming legislature and government to halt the current reform process in September, given its many imperfections, in order to redirect public discussion towards a well-considered comprehensive reform..

He also pointed out that The new government has a historic opportunity to achieve a transcendental reform if it recognizes that the problems of access to justice must be tackled at their roots, so that all people have effective institutions that guarantee respect for their human rights, especially the less favored and vulnerable, and at the same time, to provide the incentive of legal security to investors..

During the rally, attendees stressed that they carry out these mobilizations without being manipulated, and underlined that the union leaders of the Judicial Branch of the Federation They do not represent us.

Similarly, Patricia Aguayo, spokesperson for the workers of the Judicial Branch, emphasized: Let it be clear to Arturo Zaldívar (retired minister of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation) and to the legislators of Morena: the Judicial Branch of the Federation is supported by its working base and we will continue to defend our rights..

In a series of forums held earlier, Fuentes Velázquez proposed carrying out a reform of the Judicial Branch that begins by transferring all the actors involved in the Procurement of Justice and Administration of Justice to the Judicial Branches.