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All of Mexico's federal judiciary has gone on strike. Judges, magistrates and civil servants have stopped working to protest a proposed reform that they say will mean the end of judicial independence. NPR's Eyder Peralta reports.
EYDER PERALTA, BYLINE: I'm in front of one of the big federal courthouses in Mexico City, and this is what a fight between branches of government sounds like.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP #1: (Chanting in non-English langauge).
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP #2: (Chanting in non-English langauge).
PERALTA: Beginning at midnight this morning, the whole federal judiciary of Mexico went on an indefinite strike. Workers and judges have set up tents and signs. One of them says, justice is not a popularity contest. Enough with the lies.
(SOUNDBITE OF HORN BLOWING)
PERALTA: The reform, which would totally remake the judiciary, is being pushed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and his protege, incoming President Claudia Sheinbaum. One of the big proposed changes is that over the next few years, all judges and magistrates in Mexico will go from being appointed to the bench to being elected by the people. Lopez Obrador and Sheinbaum say, the changes rein in corruption by making judges accountable to Mexicans, not big business or organized crime.
JOSE FERNANDO MIGUES HERNANDEZ: (Non-English language spoken).
PERALTA: "Our constituent power from 1917 was very clear," says judiciary worker Jose Fernando Migues Hernandez.
MIGUES HERNANDEZ: (Non-English language spoken).
PERALTA: "One president but three equal powers." Miguez says, to become a judge in Mexico, you have to work your way up, do different jobs that help you understand the system and the laws. Electing judges undermines professionalism and leaves judges open to political manipulation.
MIGUES HERNANDEZ: (Non-English language spoken).
PERALTA: "Democracy is in danger," he says.
MIGUES HERNANDEZ: (Non-English language spoken).
PERALTA: "Judicial independence is at stake," he says, and they will stay on the streets until the reform is taken off the table. President Lopez Obrador, for his part, shrugged off the strike, saying, if the courts don't work, maybe more criminals will stay behind bars. Eyder Peralta, NPR News, Mexico City.
(SOUNDBITE OF DEBBIE SONG, "COUSINS CAR (FEAT. BERWYN)") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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