Enrique Mendez
The newspaper La Jornada
Tuesday, August 20, 2024, p. 6
With the changes to the draft opinion that supports the reform of the Judicial Branch of the Federation, Morena in the Chamber of Deputies intends to relax the academic and experience requirements for candidates for ministers, magistrates and judges.
The Constitution currently requires a minimum age of 35 years and a degree with 10 years’ standing to be a minister of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation or a magistrate, but in the document – which will be voted on next Monday in committees – both requirements are eliminated. Instead, only a degree and an eight grade point average during the career and professional practice of at least five years will be required.
No experience is required to become a judge, so a recent university graduate can compete for the position. Judges do not require professional experience
he adds.
According to a table provided to legislators, almost six thousand candidates will be registered in the extraordinary election of 2025 under the mechanism provided in the reform.
The breakdown specifies that, in order to renew the total number of members of the Court, the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches may propose up to three candidates to elect the nine ministers, that is, there will be 81 candidates.
For the new disciplinary court, which will replace the Federal Judicial Council, three candidates will also be proposed by each of the branches for five positions, that is, there will be 45 candidates.
Since only two vacancies will be filled in the upper chamber of the Electoral Tribunal of the Judicial Branch of the Federation, three candidates will be presented for each branch of the Union, so 18 people will compete.
For the integration of five regional chambers of the court, three candidates will be appointed by proxy, that is, there will be 27 candidates for each chamber.
Regarding the election of circuit magistrates, two candidates will be presented by each of the branches to elect 448 judges, meaning 3,136 candidates will be registered.
In the case of district judges, two candidacies will be presented by proxy for 378 positions, that is, another 2,646 candidates. In all cases, an evaluation committee will review the profiles and decide on the candidates.
