Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Thursday a temporary suspension of key provisions within her administration's sweeping judicial reform, following an escalating constitutional crisis that has pitted the executive branch against the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) for months. The 90-day pause, confirmed by the presidential spokesperson at the National Palace in Mexico City, halts the implementation of popular elections for federal judges — a cornerstone of the reform inherited from her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The announcement came hours after Chief Justice Norma Piña and two associate justices sent a formal letter to Congress warning that they would resign en masse if the electoral tribunal moved forward with scheduling the first round of judicial elections, which had been set tentatively for June. Legal scholars and opposition groups, led by the National Action Party (PAN), welcomed the pause as a recognition that the reform's rollout had become constitutionally untenable, though Morena party legislators expressed frustration, with several calling the suspension a capitulation to judicial elites.
Adding significant pressure to Sheinbaum's decision was an urgent phone call Wednesday evening with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, in which American officials reportedly conveyed concerns that judicial instability was creating an unfavorable investment climate ahead of the USMCA review scheduled for 2026. Several major U.S. corporations with manufacturing operations in Monterrey and Guadalajara had quietly threatened to delay capital expenditure decisions pending resolution of the judicial uncertainty, according to Mexican business lobby COPARMEX.
The suspension does not repeal the reform outright, and Sheinbaum was careful in her morning press conference to frame the pause as a technical review rather than a retreat. 'We remain committed to a judiciary that answers to the Mexican people, not to privilege,' she said, flanked by Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero and Finance Secretary Rogelio Ramírez de la O. She announced the formation of a bipartisan commission, including representatives from Morena, PAN, and the PRD, tasked with proposing implementation amendments within the 90-day window.
Political analysts in Mexico City view the move as a calculated stabilization effort before midterm elections scheduled for June 2027. 'Sheinbaum is trying to preserve the ideological legacy of the Fourth Transformation while avoiding the economic turbulence that full implementation would bring,' said María Amparo Casar of the anti-corruption think tank MEXICANOS CONTRA LA CORRUPCIÓN Y LA IMPUNIDAD. Markets reacted positively, with the Mexican peso strengthening 1.3 percent against the dollar by midday Thursday on the news.