By The Rio Times | Created at 2026-10-02 07:51:51 | Updated at 2026-10-02 09:21:15
1 hour ago
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MEXICO · MEXICO CITY · POLITICS
Key Facts
- —The country Mexico, Latin America’s second-largest economy, now elects its judges by popular vote under a 2024 constitutional reform. Mexico City, the capital, has its own constitution, Congress and courts.
- —The background Mexico held its first judicial election on 1 June 2025, filling 881 federal posts on a turnout of about 13%. Mexico City elected part of its own bench the same year.
- —Why now In June 2026 the federal constitution was amended to move the next national judicial vote from 2027 to 2028. Mexico City has now aligned its own constitution.
- —What happened On Thursday 1 October 2026, Mexico City’s 66-seat Congress voted 46 to 17 to elect its remaining judges and magistrates on the first Sunday of June 2028.
- —Who is who Judges whose terms end in 2027 stay on until successors are sworn in. Rafael Guerra remains president of the city’s Superior Court of Justice until September 2028.
- —What it means for you If you have a case before Mexico City’s courts, an election will not change the bench in 2027. The next turnover comes after the June 2028 vote.
- —Still open Who will be on the ballot. The Congress must publish the call for candidates by 30 April 2027.
Mexico City has moved the election of its remaining local judges and magistrates from 2027 to June 2028. The city’s Congress approved the change on Thursday 1 October 2026 by 46 votes to 17.
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The reform aligns the capital’s constitution with a federal amendment from June that pushed Mexico’s next national judicial election back a year. It also trims the steps candidates must take to reach the ballot.
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What the Congress approved
The vote changes the Constitution of Mexico City. Posts not filled in 2025, plus vacancies, go to the vote “without exception” on 4 June 2028, El Universal reported.
Judges whose terms end in 2027 will stay in office until the winners of the 2028 vote are sworn in. Rafael Guerra will remain president of the Superior Court of Justice, the city’s top court, until September 2028.
Preparations will no longer start in September. They will begin with the first session of the Mexico City Electoral Institute (IECM) in the first week of April 2027.
The Congress must publish the call for candidates by 30 April 2027, setting out every stage, date and post, El Universal reported.
A shorter road to the ballot
Candidates are first screened by evaluation committees appointed by the city’s legislature, executive and judiciary. Under the reform, each committee will shortlist the four best-rated applicants per post instead of ten.
A public lottery will then cut each list to two names per post, with gender parity required. The executive, legislature and judiciary will formally nominate those two.
The reform also drops two requirements: a three-page essay explaining the candidacy, and five letters of reference from neighbours or colleagues.
Supporters say the changes bring order to the new system. Alberto Martínez Urincho, who presented the bill, said it gives the rules “greater clarity, precision and legal certainty” for an orderly roll-out.
Why the timetable moved
On 1 June 2026, Mexico’s Congress declared valid a federal amendment moving the next judicial election from 2027 to 2028. Twenty-five state legislatures had approved it, La Jornada reported.
The same package made foreign interference a ground for annulling an election. Mexico City’s Congress was among the legislatures that ratified both changes.
Rubén Moreira, who leads the opposition PRI in the lower house, warned in June of a crowded 2028. It will also bring a presidential recall vote and four state elections.
In Mexico City, 17 deputies voted against the local reform; the reports did not detail their objections. The wider judicial reform has drawn criticism over low turnout and the independence of elected judges.
What comes next
The next fixed dates are in April 2027. The electoral institute starts work in the first week, and the call for candidates must appear by 30 April.
The reform does not postpone any other vote in Mexico City; it concerns only the election of judges and magistrates. It also does not remove sitting judges: they stay in office until their elected successors take over.
For residents and businesses with cases in the capital’s courts, the bench stays stable for now. Change will come in 2028, when voters choose a new set of local judges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Mexico City elect its judges?
Yes. Since Mexico’s 2024 judicial reform, federal and local judges are chosen by popular vote. Mexico City elected part of its bench in 2025 and will elect the rest on the first Sunday of June 2028.
Why was the Mexico City judicial election moved to 2028?
To align the capital’s constitution with a federal amendment, declared valid on 1 June 2026, that moved Mexico’s next national judicial election from 2027 to 2028.
Is Mexico City postponing its other elections?
No. The reform approved on 1 October 2026 concerns only the election of judges and magistrates. It does not change the timing of any other vote.
What happens to judges whose terms end in 2027?
They remain in office until the winners of the 2028 election are sworn in. The president of the city’s Superior Court of Justice, Rafael Guerra, stays on until September 2028.
Sources: Vanguardia, 1 October 2026, El Universal, 1 October 2026, La Jornada, 1 June 2026, Wikipedia, Congress of Mexico City (66 seats). Background on the 2025 judicial election: Rio Times reporting of 23 September 2026. All retrieved 2 October 2026.
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