The Senate eliminates the figure of “faceless judges” and proposes temporary protection
Andrea Becerril
La Jornada Newspaper
Sunday, January 11, 2026, p. 8
In the initiative of President Claudia Sheinbaum that reforms relevant points regarding the administration of justice, the Senate modified what refers to the figure of “faceless judges”, in order to establish that the reservation in the identity of judges who handle cases of organized crime is a temporary measure, of an exceptional nature and subject to controls, so that it is for the strictly necessary time.
The president of the Senate Legislative Studies Commission, Enrique Inzunza, explained that the adjustments were made so that it does not conflict with what is established with the Constitution and international agreements.
“The term faceless judges is a colloquial expression that has been used, but in reality this figure is not proposed in the presidential initiative, which according to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) eliminates basic guarantees, such as transparency and the right to due process.”
He explained that the reform is based on the fact that the identity of the judge cannot be completely hidden from the parties and “what is proposed is to preserve the security and protection of the identity” of the judge, protection that must be requested from the Judicial Administration Body.
It is, he said, one of the most conflictive points of the reform of the National Code of Criminal Procedures and the Federal Law against Organized Crime, and he proposed changes so that this reservation of identity is limited to truly exceptional cases, since it is a measure that strains the right of the accused to know who is judging him and in general to due process.
For this reason, the Morena legislator highlighted, it was defined in the draft opinion that it must be a temporary measure and subject to control, so that it is for the strictly necessary time.
Inzunza added that other changes were made in terms of inclusive language and adjustments to legislative technique, given that the principle of exact application of the law governs the issue of criminal proceedings.
The reform also establishes shorter procedural terms, adds new cases of detention in flagrante delicto and “in exceptional situations” allows the Public Prosecutor’s Office to initiate investigations without a prior court order, issues in which there were no modifications.
Former president of the Sinaloa Court of Justice, Inzunza commented that although the opinion was ready at the end of the last December session, it was decided to postpone its discussion in order to deepen its analysis, but it will surely be approved when Congress resumes work.
