Judiciary Workers Call Off Sit-In, But Work Stoppage Continues: What’s Next for the Embattled Judiciary
Supreme Court of Justice to Resume Activities Amid Ongoing Judicial Branch Strike
Mexico City, September 12
The Supreme Court of Justice (SCJN) has announced that it will resume its activities on Tuesday, September 17, following a two-week strike in solidarity with the employees of the Judicial Branch. However, the employees of the Judiciary have decided to continue their work stoppage until October 1.
Lenia Batres Guadarrama, Minister of the SCJN, announced that the highest court of justice has unanimously decided to lift the strike they joined in solidarity with the employees of the Judiciary. The decision was made after approving the Judicial Reform, which aims to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the judicial system.
Today it was decided to resume the normal functions of the Supreme Court. I left the following proposal to ministers: pic.twitter.com/fkI2JIpDoy
— Lenia Batres (@LeniaBatres) September 12, 2024
Minister Yasmín Esquivel Mossa reported that the eleven ministers decided to return to session on September 17, after two weeks of strike to support the workers of the Judicial Branch of the Federation (PJF) dissatisfied with the controversial Judicial Reform.
Patricia Aguayo, spokeswoman for federal court workers, said that the decision to continue the work stoppage was made due to fear of an act of repression by the National Guard (GN) and elements of the Mexico City Citizen Security Secretariat (SSC-CdMx).
Patricia Aguayo confirmed that the work stoppage will continue. Photo: Moisés Pablo Nava, Cuartoscuro.
“We are not seeking any kind of provocation, much less the target of repression, something we have already seen clearly is what the Government wants to do against anyone who stands from forward,” she added.
In the same way, Patricia Aguayo assured that they will continue to stop the work of the Judicial Branch inside buildings throughout the Republic of Mexico.
“this movement was started by the workers, and the workers will continue on this path of struggle. We continue to attend to urgent cases in accordance with the guidelines ordered by the Judicial Council,” she noted.
I am proud to be able to return to our workplace, at Chamber @Mx_Diputados. We will try to hold meetings with all guarantees, to avoid attacks of any kind. Excellent Thursday! pic.twitter.com/4iXd3riEIb
— Ricardo Monreal A. (@RicardoMonrealA) September 12, 2024
Celia Maya, Counselor of the Federal Judiciary, shared yesterday on the program “Los Periodistas” in SinEmbargoAlAire who thought that once the reform had been approved in both chambers, work within the Judiciary would resume.
“We now have a problem of unemployment of judges and magistrates who do not provide a justice service, which is a concern that even three councilors expressed about which we do not agree that these things happen, and that we must take the measures of the Law; but we are a minority,” she said.
“As I thought that the amendment had already been approved in both chambers, although the local legislatures were missing, I thought that judges and magistrates would have to meet and they could say to lift the suspension from work now. They had a meeting today and decided they want to extend it until October 2,” she concluded.
Ricardo Monreal Ávila, the coordinator of the Morena bench in the Chamber of Deputies, thanked the employees of the Judiciary for raising the sitting they had in San Lázaro this morning since last September 3.
“The entrances have already been cleared and we can meet freely and with all the guarantees so that there are no attacks between lawmakers or protesters,” he said.
“We are going to work after almost two weeks of them taking over the facilities. It’s free. Thanks to the Judiciary, its employees, for allowing us to work. The idea is that we exhaust the procedure tomorrow, the idea is that the two chambers will have a meeting tomorrow, and we will do the calculation and the statement,” he added.
The Reform of the Judicial Branch, approved by the Senate in the early hours of Wednesday, has been sent to the State Congress for approval. As of Thursday morning, 18 state legislatures had already approved it and another had rejected it, while other congresses are expected to discuss the reform in the next few hours.
One of the key points for the so-called Fourth Transition’s “Plan C” to flourish, that is, for the constitutional amendments to be approved, is the very state Congresses. At the federal level, Morena and her allies (The Green Ecologist Party and PT) have a simple majority in at least 22 the local congresses.