Mexico Holds World's First National Judicial Elections — Morena Sweeps Supreme Court with 13% Turnout

On June 1, 2025, Mexico became the first country in history to elect its entire federal judiciary by popular vote, implementing AMLO's landmark September 2024 constitutional reform. Approximately 2,600 judicial positions were contested — 9 Supreme Court justices, 464 circuit magistrates, 386 district judges, plus Electoral and Judicial Disciplinary Tribunals. Voter turnout was approximately 13% — the lowest in Mexico's democratic history and among the lowest ever recorded for any Latin American electoral process (OAS). Morena-aligned candidates won 5 of 9 Supreme Court seats. Héctor Aguilar Ortiz, a Mixtec Indigenous lawyer from Oaxaca with ties to López Obrador, became Chief Justice — only the second person of indigenous heritage to lead the SCJN, after Benito Juárez. Civil society groups documented illegal Morena voter guides ('cheat sheets') steering voters to pro-government candidates; multiple elected judges had documented links to organized crime. HRW reported the process undermined judicial independence. Former President Zedillo called it 'the assassination of our young democracy.' AMLO voted — his first major public appearance since retirement.