Mexico embarks on ‘Kafkaesque’ experiment to elect judges

Mexico is set to elect nearly 900 federal judges via popular vote on June 1, a system criticized by legal experts for jeopardizing judicial independence and potentially enabling organized crime. This reform, supported by President Claudia Sheinbaum and her predecessor Andrés Manuel López Obrador, shifts the selection criteria from extensive experience and exams to merely a law degree and five years of legal work, with many candidates linked to the ruling party. Critics argue this move undermines decades of judicial progress and could deter foreign investment, with fears that the government will dominate judicial outcomes.