A sweeping judicial reform was introduced in Mexico last year during the presidency of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador 2024, dictating that judges across the country, including Supreme Court justices, will now be elected by popular vote rather than appointed by the Executive Branch and confirmed by the Senate.
The reform means that now there is a pool of 50,000 candidates vying for federal and state judgeships, which will be on the ballot for the first time on June 1. Among them is Silvia Delgado, a 51-year-old lawyer from Ciudad Juárez and best known for representing Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán between 2016 and 2017.
