Guatemala Supreme Court's Divided Portrait Highlights Internal Rift

A newly released photograph shows Guatemala's Supreme Court president Teódulo Cifuentes posing with the presidential medallion alongside eleven other magistrates. The picture was taken on 13 July, the same day magistrate Estuardo Cárdenas publicly refused to participate, citing the session as a "empty and hypocritical" act. His absence underscored a deep split within the court, where the dominant bloc controls most decisions while a dissenting minority challenges key rulings. The image, captured by La Hora, displays the twelve participating judges smiling, but Cárdenas' boycott turned the photo into a visual record of the institution's internal divisions.