This Sunday, Mexican voters will get their first chance ever to elect judges.
“It is a historic election," said Harlene Arriaga, a lawyer in Tijuana and the former president of Barra de Abogadas María Sandoval de Zarco, a 50-year-old association of women lawyers. "It's the first time since the judiciary power was born here in Mexico that we get the chance to vote for our judges and ministers.”
Arriaga said Mexico is completely overhauling its legal system. In September, the ruling Morena party made changes to the Mexican constitution so that judges, from the Supreme Court down to local jurisdictions, will now be elected officials.
The changes had been championed by then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who had often clashed with judges.
The whole legal system is starting fresh, Arriaga said.
“It was a constitutional change. And also the purpose of this precedent — and the past precedent that presented the proposal of this modification — was to avoid or to eliminate nepotism (and) corruption in the judiciary system,” she said.
The changes to the Mexican judiciary sparked protests across the country last fall. But a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in early 2025 found 66% of Mexicans approve of electing judges, with 31% strongly in favor.
In the state of Baja California alone, there are 172 judgeships open. The candidates include existing judges and challengers who are all required to be attorneys, according to the Instituto Estatal Electoral de Baja California (State Electoral Institute of Baja California).
There are two ways Mexicans can cast their vote. They can choose an entire group of candidates pre-approved by a committee from Mexico’s government branches. Or they can vote for candidates individually.
Arriaga said this can be confusing.
“I have a privilege because I'm a lawyer and I have this information. What about the common citizen that don't even know if they have the experience to be part of these elections on Sunday?” Arriaga said.
The official vote count will be released on June 13, and winners will be sworn in on September 1 for an eight-year term.
