Deep Dive | Episode 9 | How will the campaigns of judges and magistrates be?; impunity and illegality to 'win the vote'

El Reportero

We have focused so much on debating whether the Judicial Reform will be approved or not, the lottery, the shame, and other absurdities, that we have forgotten to reflect on the practical implications of an electoral campaign for judges and magistrates.

Let’s start with a fundamental principle: if popular elections guaranteed the absence of corruption, how do we explain the tragic garbage of politicians who are now and always have been members of congress, mayors, senators, governors, and even Presidents of the Republic? If the "wise people" that Morena appeals to are infallible, why is this mechanism such a disaster for Mexico?

The same scenario would be replicated in the judicial realm. Imagine having a ballot with hundreds of names of people you don’t even know. This topic raises a crucial question: what would a judicial campaign look like? It is important to point out that these campaigns would not differ much from current political campaigns, at least in terms of how they are financed.

Technically, it’s not a political campaign but a judicial one, and the financing would follow the same pattern. We know well that judges won’t rely solely on their own resources. Like politicians, they will receive financial support from acquaintances, friends, and people with vested interests in them getting the position.

The logic is the same: what could a judge promise to someone financing them? Just like politicians, who lie and sell empty promises to voters, they must fulfill their promises to those who finance their campaigns. These financiers are often powerful, resourceful individuals, not always involved in decent activities. If a politician can offer contracts and benefits to their sponsors, what do you think a judge or magistrate candidate would offer? The answer is simple: impunity.

A judge could offer favors, benefits, and turning a blind eye to the law.

What could a magistrate candidate promise?

To bend the law to favor those who financially supported them.

And who would those financiers be?

They won’t be ordinary people like the ice cream seller, butcher, or journalist. They will be businessmen and, in the worst cases, drug traffickers and criminals, who are the ones who would truly benefit from having a judge or magistrate in their pocket. And unfortunately, they have the resources to do so.

The image of the lottery, which destroyed so many judicial careers, is just a preview of what awaits us in the administration of justice. The highest bidder will reap the benefits of the new judges and magistrates.

Once the judge or magistrate has won their position, how will they repay those who financed their campaign? I address Morena's followers: how do you think those who fund these judicial campaigns will benefit? Few have reflected on this aspect, but it’s clear that judicial campaigns are designed to confuse and discourage citizen participation. This process is tailor-made for those promoting it, because they are the only ones who understand it.

Currently, neither lawyers nor legal experts know how to deal with this system. The main beneficiaries will be those who push it forward, because they are the only ones who know how to take advantage of it. Part of this advantage lies in the selection process for judges and magistrates.

It’s easy to understand that this abuse of power by Morena isn’t a simple cleaning of the judicial system, but a demolition. In theory, it was supposed to clean from top to bottom, but in reality, they are sweeping everything away, and the main victims will be the citizens.

Meanwhile, the big beneficiaries will be the members of Morena, the drug traffickers, and the businessmen who, with cash in hand, will finance these judges and magistrates, ensuring all the benefits of a chaotic system promoted by the unmentionable Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and sadly perpetuated by Claudia Sheinbaum.