In September 2024, Mexico’s Congress approved a comprehensive constitutional reform redesigning the judiciary, leading to the country’s first-ever direct elections for federal judges in June 2025 and the swearing-in of a new Supreme Court on September 1 of that year.

Two years after the reform was enacted, this is a moment for a reckoning: what has actually changed in the structure, independence, and functioning of Mexico’s courts? What worked, and what didn’t? What lessons have been learned from the 2025 judicial elections and this first year under the new judicial model, and what still needs to improve?

On May 29, 2026, Congress postponed the next judicial election from 2027 to 2028 and moved the presidential recall referendum to align with it. What does this delay mean for the reform’s momentum and design—and what are the risks of pairing a recall vote with judicial elections?

This conversation will also examine what the reform’s outcomes mean for U.S.-Mexico relations—particularly for bilateral cooperation on the rule of law, economic integration, and democratic governance—as well as implications for legal certainty, investment, and the business climate in Mexico.

Join the Mexico Program on Wednesday, September 9, 2026 from 10:00 AM – 11:15 AM ET for a timely discussion assessing Mexico’s judicial reform two years on—what changed, what improved, and what remains to be done.

OPENING REMARKS

María Calderón

Senior Program Associate, Mexico, Inter-American Dialogue 

MODERATOR

Veronica Ortiz

Co-host, Ventana Política, former Director of the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations (COMEXI) (@veronicaortizo)

SPEAKERS

Pedro Salazar Ugarte

Researcher at the Legal Research Institute, UNAM

Jaime Olaiz González

Professor of Constitutional Theory and International Law, Universidad Panamericana