Judicial Reform, Judicial Elections, and the Institutional Legitimacy of the Courts in Mexico

In 2024, Mexico adopted a major reform to its judicial system that restructures the relationship between the judiciary, the elected branches of government, and the public. The reforms call for the direct election of more than 7,000 of the most important judicial positions in the country. This project will track citizens’ attitudes toward the reforms and the judiciary as these reforms are implemented, as citizens elect their judges, and as the directly elected judges are seated. Because judicial independence is associated with salutary governmental and economic outcomes, and public support for judicial institutions is a key determinant of judicial independence and influence, this project has implications for understanding how the direct election of judges might bolster or undermine the institutional separation of powers, economic development, and broader U.S.-Mexico relations.