Dominican Supreme Court judges quit evaluation amid judicial controversy

Dominican Supreme Court judicial evaluation Costa Rica protests Mexico SCJN appointment Peru hidden re‑election

In the Dominican Republic, a wave of resignations has hit the Supreme Court of Justice. Judges Manuel Ramón Herrera Carbuccia, Luis Henry Molina, Nancy Salcedo Fernández and María Garabito Ramírez have each declined to undergo the performance evaluation mandated by the Consejo Nacional de la Magistratura (CNM) and have formally stepped down after completing two seven‑year terms. Their departures raise concerns among civil‑society groups about the independence of the judiciary and the transparency of the evaluation process.

At the same time, Costa Rica has seen massive public demonstrations in San José, San Ramón, Nicoya and Liberia defending the independence of the judicial branch. Thousands of citizens have gathered with banners and chants demanding respect for the separation of powers after the executive and legislative branches were accused of undermining the courts.

In Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum highlighted a constitutional contradiction over how the next president of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJN) will be chosen. She noted that business leaders have expressed concern about minister Lenia Batres Guadarrama’s possible appointment and stressed that the resolution of the issue lies with the Court itself.

In Peru, Defensor del Pueblo Josué Gutiérrez warned against “hidden re‑election” tactics that could bypass the constitutional ban on immediate re‑election of mayors, citing dozens of cases where candidates run as first councilors to return to the mayoralty.

Entities: Article 94 of the Mexican Constitution · Carlos Slim · Claudia Sheinbaum · Dominican Republic · Grupo Carso · Josué Gutiérrez · Lenia Batres · Lenia Batres Guadarrama · Luis Abinader · Manuel Ramón Herrera Carbuccia · National Council of the Magistracy (CNM) · Supreme Court of Justice (Dominican Republic)

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[○ 1 SOURCE] Lenia Batres is slated to assume the SCJN presidency on 1 September 2027 under one selection modality. (Sheinbaum)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Claudia Sheinbaum said the Constitution contains a contradiction over the succession of the SCJN presidency. (Sheinbaum)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Sheinbaum said she would not push a constitutional amendment to resolve the SCJN succession issue. (Sheinbaum)
[○ 1 SOURCE] The 2024 judicial reform left two possible mechanisms for selecting the SCJN president. (Sheinbaum)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Article 94 of the Mexican Constitution establishes a rotating two‑year term for the SCJN presidency based on internal voting results. (Constitution)
[○ 1 SOURCE] A group of prominent businessmen met with Sheinbaum to suggest alternative candidates to Lenia Batres for the SCJN presidency. (Sheinbaum)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Businessmen present at the meeting included Carlos Slim, Germán Larrea, Alejandro Baillères, Carlos Hank González, Bernardo Gómez and José Medina Mora. (Sheinbaum)