Subverting the Legitimacy and Independence of the Judiciary in Mexico

• In Event: Judicial Interference, Violence and Malpractices in Mexican Elections

Abstract

In recent years, Mexico’s judiciary has faced systematic assaults coming from the executive and the legislative power. Both have criticized the judiciary's role when deciding high-profile political cases. Supreme Court decisions on cases involving the government’s interest and politics, have unleashed executive attacks on the judiciary and its members, polarizing society and unveiling mechanisms that the literature on democratization highlights as indicators of democratic erosion. This study delves into the dynamics of assaults on the judiciary and its relationship with the erosion of democracy. How can attacks on the judiciary lead to democratic erosion? What role do judges play in accelerating or stopping such regression? To address these questions, an original database was utilized containing the stenographic transcripts of the President’s Morning Press Conferences, speeches, as well as plenary sessions of both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. I also use comparative evidence to illustrate how the judiciary respond to these attacks and its effects for the stability or subversion of democracy.

Author

• Azul America Aguiar-Aguilar, Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente (ITESO)