Mexico Makes History: World's First Country to Elect All Judges by Popular Vote

Historic Judicial Revolution: Mexico's Unprecedented Democratic Experiment

On June 1, 2025, Mexico will make history as the first country in the world to elect all its judges through popular vote. This groundbreaking electoral process will see Mexican citizens choosing candidates for 881 federal judicial positions, including nine Supreme Court justices, marking an unprecedented experiment in democratic governance that has captured global attention.

The scope of this transformation is staggering. Approximately 2,600 sitting judges, from Supreme Court justices down to regional and state court judges, will be removed from their posts and replaced by winning candidates. An additional 4,000 judicial positions will be up for election in 2027, completing the most comprehensive judicial overhaul ever attempted by any nation.

This revolutionary change stems from constitutional reforms passed in September 2024 under former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who argued that electing judges would eliminate corruption and bring the judiciary closer to the people's interests. The reform has fundamentally altered Mexico's legal landscape, replacing a presidential nomination and congressional confirmation system with direct popular elections.

The Political Genesis: AMLO's Vision for Judicial Democracy

The judicial reform emerged from a distinctive political moment in Mexico's history. Throughout his six-year tenure, President López Obrador was a vocal critic of the Mexican judiciary, consistently portraying judges as privileged individuals with disproportionate salaries who served elite interests rather than the common people.

López Obrador's frustration with the courts was deeply personal and political. Judges repeatedly thwarted his initiatives, including flagship infrastructure projects and reforms in electoral, energy, and security sectors. This constant judicial opposition fueled his determination to restructure the entire system through popular elections.

The former president's narrative resonated with segments of Mexican society who viewed the judiciary as corrupt and disconnected from ordinary citizens. His proposal to elect all judges nationwide through popular vote was presented as a solution to bring the judiciary closer to the people's interests, fundamentally challenging traditional concepts of judicial independence and legal expertise.

Constitutional Transformation: The Mechanics of Change

The 2024 Mexican judicial reform represents a series of constitutional amendments that completely restructured the country's judiciary. The reform replaced Mexico's appointment-based system with one where judges, pre-selected by Congress, are elected by popular vote, with each judge serving a renewable nine-year term.

Key provisions include reducing the number of Supreme Court justices from 11 to 9 and limiting their terms to 12 years instead of 15. The reform also establishes a new Judicial Disciplinary Tribunal with five members elected by popular vote to serve single six-year terms, replacing the Federal Judiciary Council.

To be eligible as candidates, individuals must be Mexican citizens by birth, have no serious criminal convictions, hold a law degree with a minimum 8.0 grade point average, and have at least five years of relevant professional experience. Candidates must also submit essays on legal topics and provide five reference letters. The National Electoral Institute oversees these judicial elections, with strict prohibitions on public and private funding, media space purchases, and political party campaigning.

Public Opinion Divided: Support and Opposition Clash

Mexican public opinion remains deeply polarized over the judicial reforms. According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted from February to March 2025, 66% of Mexicans approve of the policy requiring judges to be elected by popular vote, including 31% who strongly approve.

Support correlates strongly with political affiliation. Among supporters of the ruling MORENA party and its alliance partners, 76% approve of the policy, compared to 54% of non-supporters. Approval is somewhat higher among younger adults, with 71% of those aged 18-34 supporting the change versus 60% of those 50 and older.

Critics argue that the reforms threaten judicial independence and could make judges vulnerable to political influence and organized crime. Legal experts, bar associations, and international organizations have broadly rejected the move, warning that five years of legal experience is insufficient for judicial competency. Massive protests greeted congressional approval in 2024, with demonstrators storming the Senate and thousands of judicial workers picketing outside the lower chamber.

International Concerns: Global Scrutiny and Diplomatic Tensions

The judicial reform has attracted significant international attention and criticism. The Biden administration was outspoken in its opposition, while President Trump's newly appointed ambassador has signaled concerns about potential harm to foreign investment in Mexico.

Constitutional scholars, judicial experts, and electoral governance professionals worldwide are closely monitoring this unprecedented experiment. Many worry that the reforms could undermine the rule of law and set a dangerous precedent for other nations considering similar changes.

International organizations and multilateral bodies have expressed concerns about the potential politicization of justice. Critics argue that the reforms are part of a broader campaign by AMLO and the MORENA party to erode democratic institutions, which has included changes to electoral bodies and growing military influence in public affairs. The global legal community remains skeptical about whether this model can maintain judicial independence while ensuring accountability to the public.

The June 1st Election: Candidates and Logistics

The upcoming June 1st election will feature an overwhelming number of candidates competing for judicial positions. The ballot includes 64 candidates for nine Supreme Court seats, 38 candidates for five Judicial Discipline Tribunal positions, 110 candidates for 17 Federal Electoral Tribunal magistrate positions, and over 3,000 candidates for 850 circuit magistrate and district judge positions.

Additionally, 19 states will hold state-level judicial elections with nearly 2,000 positions available. This massive electoral undertaking presents unprecedented logistical challenges for Mexico's electoral administration, as no country has ever attempted to elect such a large number of judicial officials simultaneously.

Despite the scale of the election, turnout is expected to be low. Independent surveys suggest only around one-third of eligible voters will participate, reflecting public uncertainty about the process and the qualifications of candidates. Many sitting judges declined to participate in protest, including a majority of current Supreme Court justices, further complicating the transition.

Future Implications: Mexico's Democratic Experiment

Mexico's judicial election experiment will have far-reaching implications for the country's democratic institutions and rule of law. Supporters argue that elected judges will be more accountable to citizens and responsive to public concerns about corruption and elitism in the judiciary.

However, critics warn that the reforms could facilitate political capture of the courts and entrench punitive populism. The question of whether judges' independence will increase or decrease following direct elections is particularly critical in Mexico, where high levels of impunity for serious crimes have contributed to widespread violence.

As Mexico becomes the world's only country to elect all its judges, the international community will closely watch the outcomes. This unprecedented experiment in judicial democracy could either serve as a model for other nations seeking to reform their legal systems or stand as a cautionary tale about the risks of politicizing the judiciary. The success or failure of Mexico's approach will likely influence debates about judicial reform and democratic governance worldwide for years to come.