Mexico proposes extending Supreme Court presidency to four years and revamping magistrate vacancy rules

The Mexican Congress received a proposal from Deputy María Leticia Vázquez Hernández to amend the state constitution and the Organic Law of the Judicial Power. The initiative would lengthen the term of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice's presidency from two to four years, shift the selection of the president from a rotational vote‑based system to an internal decision by the court’s plenary, and replace the current mechanism that automatically fills vacant magistrate seats with the next highest‑voted candidate with a temporary internal appointment by the court, the Discipline Tribunal, or the Judicial Administration body. Additional reforms include formally recognizing the Social Communication Area as a support organ, establishing specific medical and parental leave regimes for magistrates, and strengthening conflict‑of‑interest and anti‑nepotism measures.

Separately, local electoral magistrates met with federal legislators to highlight persistent problems stemming from the broader judicial reform. They reported an ongoing impasse in appointing magistrates, noting that dozens of seats remain vacant across states, which undermines the stability of electoral tribunals ahead of the 2028 elections. They cited budget constraints, ambiguous legal frameworks, and uneven implementation of the reform, urging harmonization of the new rules and temporary extensions for incumbent magistrates to ensure tribunal functionality.