Mexico's Lower House approves president AMLO's controversial judicial overhaul

The Mexican Lower House approved on Wednesday the controversial overhaul of the judicial system, a first step toward implementing a radical change that has led to the unusual move of open criticism from the United States.

The initiative's most salient aspect is having judges elected through popular vote. Analysts and political figures have expressed concerns about making the judiciary more susceptible to corruption and political manipulation, especially from criminal organizations. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), in turn, has said it will help hold judges accountable of their decisions.

Tensions are also running high at home, with strikes from judicial workers and marches throughout the country. Supreme Court judges have joined the criticism, with eight of its 11 members voting to suspend their activities for the remainder of the week as a sign of protest.

The voting took place in a tense environment, as striking workers formed a human chain around the lower house, preventing lawmakers from accessing. They instead went to a sports complex and proceeded with the session from there. In the end, 359 deputies voted in favor of the overhaul and 135 opposed it.

"We went to the streets, we went knocking on doors, we went to towns and we told the people that if they voted for us we would vote for the reforms of President López Obrador. We did not deceive them, we did not deceive anyone," said Ricardo Monreal, head of AMLO's ruling party Morena in the lower house.

In contrast, opposition lawmaker Patricia Flores said that "more than a judicial reform, this is an act of revenge — because the judiciary has been a counterweight to the decisions of the president."

The measure will now head to the Senate, where AMLO's ruling party Morena is a vote shy from the supermajority needed. It is still expected to move forward. If finally approved, lawyers with a law degree and comparatively little experience could be appointed to the courts if they affiliate themselves with a popular party.

The U.S. and Canada made the unusual move of criticizing the decision, prompting a fierce response from AMLO. The main comments from the U.S. came from ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar, who suggested that the reform could make the judiciary more susceptible to corruption and political manipulation, particularly by criminal organizations. His Canadian counterpart made similar statements.

"Based on my lifelong experience supporting the rule of law, I believe popular direct elections of judges is a major risk to the functioning of Mexico's democracy," said Salazar during a passage a press conference.

This led AMLO to announce a "pause" in the countries' diplomatic relations. "They have to learn to respect the sovereignty of Mexico," said AMLO during his daily news conference. He went on to say that he hadn't requested the American ambassador to leave the country, "but we do have to read him the Constitution." And added that while the government was not communicating with the American and Canadian embassies, the broader relationship continued as normal.

Courts have historically ruled some of AMLO's legislative efforts, including controversial changes to the country's electoral institute. He has complained about the judiciary, calling Supreme Court judges a "power mafia" and said judges should be elected like officials from the executive and legislative branches. The overhaul would also reduce their term, tie their salaries to those of the executive branch and create a judicial disciplinary tribunal.

President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, a member of AMLO's Morena party and his protegé, has said she supports the initiative. She is set to take office on October 1 to begin a six-year term.