Demonstrators in Mexico City blocked entrances to Congress on Tuesday to protest a judicial overhaul that would make judges stand for election. Critics say the plan would deal a severe blow to the independence of the judiciary and the system of checks and balances.
A mix of court employees, students and other critics chanted and strung ropes across entrances to the lower house of Congress to block legislators from entering. The protests came as the country's Supreme Court voted 8-3 to join strikes by court employees and law students that have been taking place across the country for weeks.
"The party with the majority could take control of the judicial branch, and that would practically be the end of democracy," said protester Javier Reyes, a 37-year-old federal court worker. "They want to own Mexico."
Despite that, lawmakers from Mexico's ruling party, Morena, and their allies appeared determined to push through the reform. Unable to meet at the congressional building, they instead gathered in a sweltering gymnasium about 5 kilometers (3 miles) away to begin the voting process.
Outside, a pack of protesters roared, blocking streets and demanding lawmakers hear their objections to the proposal.
The constitutional reform submitted by outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Morena have drawn criticism both domestically and from foreign governments and investors.
U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar said Tuesday that "there is a great deal of concern," claiming the changes "could damage relations a lot, and it's not just me saying that."
Critics say the overhaul would stack the courts in favor of López Obrador's party, politicize the judicial system and pose a threat to foreign investment. López Obrador, a populist who has long been at odds with the judiciary and other independent regulatory agencies, maintains the proposal is necessary to fight corruption.
Under the current system, judges and court secretaries, who act as judges' assistants, slowly qualify for higher positions based on their record. But under the proposed changes, any lawyer with minimal qualifications could run, with some candidacies decided by drawing names from a hat.
The ruling Morena party has the two-thirds majority in Congress needed to approve the reform, which they should be able to do handily in the lower house of Congress. The party's congressional leader, Rep. Ricardo Monreal, said there were no plans to abandon the reform, noting, "This reform is going ahead." Monreal told lawmakers they were in for a long night on Tuesday.
Mexico's courts have long been plagued by corruption and opacity, but in the past 15 years they have been subject to reforms to make them more open and accountable, including changing many closed-door, paper-based trials for a more open, oral-argument format.
Voices both at home and abroad say the new changes could mark a setback in the effort to clean up the courts.
The proposed changes would cover about 7,000 judges at various levels and would introduce a time limit for judges to rule on many cases to combat a tendency for some trials to stretch out over decades.
More controversially, the reform would also introduce "hooded judges" to preside over organized crime cases; their identities would be kept secret to prevent reprisals.
And the courts would be largely stripped of their power to block government projects or laws based on appeals by citizens. It would also almost certainly assure that the president's party continues with significant political power long after López Obrador leaves office at the end of this month.
Still, protesters like Reyes hold onto hope that their weeks of protests will pay off, roaring in unison, "Mexico stay strong, justice is coming."
But protesters chanted in front of a wall of murals painted with Lopez Obrador's face, reading "hasta siempre Presidente." My president, forever.
