Mexico Supreme Court rejects last-ditch effort to limit judicial overhaul

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s Supreme Court dismissed a proposal Tuesday to reduce the scope of a contentious judicial overhaul making all judges stand for election.

The failed effort would have required only Supreme Court justices to compete in elections instead of all of the country’s judges as mandated in a constitutional change approved in September.

Seven out of 11 justices voted for limiting the scope, but a special majority of eight was required.

In a statement, the court emphasized that the ruling was not about the validity of the judicial overhaul, it only rejected the challenges from opposition political parties.

The decision came a week after eight justices tendered their resignations saying they will leave the court rather than compete in judicial elections scheduled for next June.

The court’s three other justices indicated they will compete in the elections.

Last week, Mexico’s Congress and a majority of state legislatures approved another constitutional change that protects constitutional amendments from legal challenges, but the Supreme Court said it didn’t apply in this case since the challenges were made before that change passed.

Before Tuesday's ruling, thousands of people protested outside the court.

The judicial overhaul raised concerns inside Mexico and abroad about weakening the separation of powers and the rule of law. Critics say making all judges stand for election will politicize the judiciary.

President Claudia Sheinbaum has said the initiative pushed by her predecessor, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who frequently clashed with the court, will rid the courts of corruption.

____

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america