Photo: TEPJF

By KELIN DILLON

On Wednesday, Oct. 23, the Mexican Superior Chamber of the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary (TEPJF) voted to allow the National Electoral Institute (INE) to continue organizing the popular election of Mexico’s judges and magistrates, characterizing any judicial interference into the process as “constitutionally unviable.”

The green light was given with three votes in favor and two votes against, with Felipe de la Mata, Mónica Soto, and Felipe Fuentes supporting the initiative and Janine Otálora and Reyes Rodríguez Mondragón opposing it.

With this ruling in hand, the INE will not be able to prevent or suspend its organization of the judicial elections despite several suspensions issued by the nation’s judges against the process.

“The validity, legality or effectiveness of the suspension actions or resolutions issued by various amparo judges is not a matter for pronouncement or litigation, so these determinations remain untouched in this judgment,” read the ruling.

However, the magistrates noted that this ruling only relates to the INE’s constitutional obligation to organize the judicial elections, which are scheduled for June 2025.

“In the face of this complex dilemma in which the INE finds itself, I consider that an extraordinary situation has arisen that justifies the need to issue a declaratory action aimed at giving certainty to the authority itself, to the contenders and of course, to the general public, regarding how it should proceed in the exercise of its constitutional and legal functions in force,” said TEPJF President Soto.