Mexico’s Courts Ask Sheinbaum to Change 4 Judicial Laws

MEXICO · POLITICS

Mexico’s judiciary has asked the government to change four laws, a year after voters elected a new Supreme Court.

Hugo Aguilar Ortiz, president of Mexico’s Supreme Court, handed the Presidency proposed changes to four judicial laws on Tuesday, 6 October. The Mexico judicial reform package would give the top courts control over their own budgets, the Mexico City daily La Jornada reported.

Luisa María Alcalde, the president’s chief legal adviser, said the government would back it in a bill for Congress. For US investors, the question is whether Mexico’s elected courts will become more predictable.

What the Courts Are Asking For

The package would amend the organic law of the federal judiciary, the Amparo Law and the main electoral law. It would also change the law on presidential recall votes, La Jornada reported.

Amparo is Mexico’s main legal action for challenging government acts, and companies use it often. Details of the changes to it were not disclosed.

The Supreme Court, the Electoral Tribunal and the Judicial Discipline Tribunal would each gain control over their own budgets. A new plenary of the heads of the judiciary’s top bodies would set judicial policy.

The heads of the Judicial Administration Body, the Discipline Tribunal and the Electoral Tribunal joined Aguilar at the handover. The proposal also regulates new Supreme Court sections, after the 2024 reform abolished the court’s two chambers.

Aguilar rejected the idea that this undoes the overhaul. “It is not a correction,” he said, adding that the sections do not restore the abolished chambers.

The Investor Question

Business groups say the new courts have unsettled investment. In a survey published on Thursday, 1 October, employers’ federation Coparmex said 28.8% of 3,721 member firms had cut or postponed projects.

Some 67.8% reported a negative effect on investment decisions, and 80.8% had changed or were reviewing their legal set-up. Coparmex asked for measurable targets on ruling times, judicial independence and predictability.

Aguilar dismissed such worries as a well-worn narrative, the Mexican news site Latinus reported. Business leaders cannot point to a single case where the court strayed from constitutional rules, he told reporters.

Alcalde called the proposal timely. She said it was positive that the judiciary’s top bodies had reached agreement among themselves.

How Mexico Got Here

Mexico’s Congress passed the judicial overhaul in September 2024, under former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador. It switched to electing judges by popular vote, starting with a first election on 1 June 2025.

The overhaul also cut the Supreme Court from 11 to nine members. It replaced the old judicial council with a discipline tribunal and an administration body.

The new nine-member Supreme Court took office on 1 September 2025, with Aguilar, a Mixtec lawyer from Oaxaca, as its president. The second judicial election is due in 2028.

In 2024 Ken Salazar, then US ambassador, called the direct election of judges a major risk to Mexico’s democracy. President Claudia Sheinbaum, in office since October 2024, has defended the reform as a way to clean up the courts.

What It Means for You

For US companies with plants, contracts or disputes in Mexico, court predictability is a real cost. More budget control could help courts run better, but it does not change how judges are chosen.

Watch whether the final bill changes amparo rules, since companies use that tool to challenge taxes, permits and regulations. Any change there would matter for foreign investors in energy, mining and manufacturing.

The review of the USMCA, the North American trade pact, is continuing, and investor protection is part of that backdrop. Holders of Mexican bonds and peso assets also track how independent the courts look.

What Is Not Known

The text of the proposal has not been published, so the exact changes to amparo and electoral rules are unclear. The size of the budgets the courts want to control was not disclosed.

There is no date for the bill to reach Congress, and lawmakers may change it. The Supreme Court’s own statement on the handover could not be found or opened.

What Comes Next

Alcalde said the Presidency would put the proposal into a bill for Congress. Morena, the left-wing ruling party founded by López Obrador, and its allies hold majorities in both chambers.

The proposal does not reverse the 2024 overhaul. Judges will still be elected, and the court’s president framed the changes as coordination, not correction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Mexico reversing its judicial reform?

No. The Supreme Court president said the proposal is not a correction, and judges would still be chosen by popular vote.

What is the Amparo Law?

It governs amparo, the main legal action people and companies use to challenge government acts in Mexico. The proposal would amend it, but details were not released.

Why are businesses worried about Mexico’s courts?

In a Coparmex survey, 28.8% of member firms said they had cut or postponed projects amid judicial uncertainty. Most are changing or reviewing their legal structures.

When is Mexico’s next judicial election?

The second judicial election is due in 2028. The first was held on 1 June 2025.

Who is Hugo Aguilar?

Hugo Aguilar Ortiz is a Mixtec lawyer from Oaxaca. He became president of Mexico’s elected Supreme Court in September 2025.

Sources: Coparmex, Data Coparmex analysis (1 October 2026); La Jornada; Latinus; Mexico News Daily (all accessed 7 October 2026).