Judicial reform in Mexico: an institutional setback
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2025 6:33 am
On February 5, 2024, the President of Mexico sent various constitutional reform initiatives to Congress, including one related to the judiciary. These reforms accentuate the concentration of power in the presidency of the Republic, especially that concerning federal and local jurisdictional bodies.
Access to justice is difficult and its administration and delivery present defects, among which its slowness and cases of corruption stand out. This last phenomenon affects the entire public administration and the area of justice does not escape this damage. In Mexico there is consensus regarding the need to introduce changes in all areas of justice, not only in the courts.
The reforms proposed by the President overlooked the real changes needed amazon database and the multiple ideas to achieve them. His initiative chose to do away with what had been achieved and to impose a regressive reform. Once again, the lack of a Ministry of Justice or an equivalent government agency became obvious. Mexico is the only OECD country that lacks this type of institution. Judicial efficiency, the quality of the regulatory system and its real effects are not measured.
The teaching of law is another problem for justice because it is not regulated. In the country there are around 2,300 law schools, most of which are very deficient. The ratio is 1.8 legal teaching centers per 100,000 inhabitants. In comparison, the United States has 198 accredited law schools, with a ratio of .06, and in Spain the degree is taught in 62 institutions, with a ratio of .12 per 100,000 inhabitants. In Italy there are around 55 law schools, with a ratio of .09.
In addition, there are 442 thousand lawyers registered in the Mexican census, which means 340 for every 100 thousand inhabitants, almost three times as many as in Europe, where the ratio is 131. In addition, membership in a bar association is not compulsory, which means that there is a lack of controls regarding their professional training and updating and their ethical suitability, to the detriment of those seeking justice and of the judges. Lawyers with a degree but without knowledge or without ethical commitment defraud the trust of those they represent and are a source of corruption in the judicial system.
Access to justice is difficult and its administration and delivery present defects, among which its slowness and cases of corruption stand out. This last phenomenon affects the entire public administration and the area of justice does not escape this damage. In Mexico there is consensus regarding the need to introduce changes in all areas of justice, not only in the courts.
The reforms proposed by the President overlooked the real changes needed amazon database and the multiple ideas to achieve them. His initiative chose to do away with what had been achieved and to impose a regressive reform. Once again, the lack of a Ministry of Justice or an equivalent government agency became obvious. Mexico is the only OECD country that lacks this type of institution. Judicial efficiency, the quality of the regulatory system and its real effects are not measured.
The teaching of law is another problem for justice because it is not regulated. In the country there are around 2,300 law schools, most of which are very deficient. The ratio is 1.8 legal teaching centers per 100,000 inhabitants. In comparison, the United States has 198 accredited law schools, with a ratio of .06, and in Spain the degree is taught in 62 institutions, with a ratio of .12 per 100,000 inhabitants. In Italy there are around 55 law schools, with a ratio of .09.
In addition, there are 442 thousand lawyers registered in the Mexican census, which means 340 for every 100 thousand inhabitants, almost three times as many as in Europe, where the ratio is 131. In addition, membership in a bar association is not compulsory, which means that there is a lack of controls regarding their professional training and updating and their ethical suitability, to the detriment of those seeking justice and of the judges. Lawyers with a degree but without knowledge or without ethical commitment defraud the trust of those they represent and are a source of corruption in the judicial system.