03 Sep 2024 | 06:58 PM UTC
Mexico: Nationwide strike, associated protests by federal judiciary workers likely to continue through at least early September /update 2
Nationwide strike by federal judiciary workers likely to persist in Mexico through at least early September. Related protests likely.
Unionized federal judiciary employees will likely continue their indefinite strike and campaign of protests across Mexico through at least early September. The purpose of the work stoppage, which has been underway since Aug. 19, is to denounce judicial reforms proposed by the national government. On Sept. 2, employees of the Supreme Court announced that they would join the strike.
As part of the action, striking workers and supporting activists have staged demonstrations and marches outside federal courthouses in several cities, including Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey. Activists blocked access to the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Congress, in Mexico City on Sept. 3, prompting lawmakers to change the venue at which they will discuss the proposed judicial reforms. The lower house will debate the reforms and hold the first vote. Congress is likely to hold an additional, more specific discussion on the reforms and a second vote on Sept. 4. The unrest will probably persist throughout the process.
The strike will almost certainly continue to prompt significant delays and other disruptions to federal court services. Transport and business disruptions are likely in areas where demonstrations take place. Authorities will probably deploy a heightened security presence to any protest sites. Clashes are possible if security forces try to forcibly disperse the demonstrators.
Reconfirm all business appointments, including hearing dates and petition statuses, with the federal court system for the duration of the strike. Avoid all protests as a precaution. Allow additional time to reach destinations in the vicinity of any likely demonstration locations, such as federal courthouses. Heed the instructions of local authorities.
On Feb. 5, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador proposed reforms to the federal judiciary. The proposed changes include electing federal and state judges, including justices on the Supreme Court, via public elections. This has garnered significant controversy, with critics arguing that it threatens the courts' independence. The reforms passed their initial hurdle on Aug. 26, when the constitutional points commission from the lower chamber of Mexico's Congress approved them. On Aug. 31, two federal judges in Chiapas and Morelos issued rulings that attempted to temporarily halt the debate on the reforms in Congress and prevent them from being sent to state congresses for approval. However, Ricardo Monreal, the leader of the governing Morena party in the Senate, indicated that the debate and vote would proceed despite the rulings.
Additionally, the ruling Morena party and its allies now have a supermajority in the newly elected Congress, which took office on Sept. 1. This puts the national government in a better position to pass the proposed reforms.
