MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum criticized the country’s Supreme Court on Monday for what she described as overstepping its authority as it weighs whether to deem part of a recently-enacted judicial reform unconstitutional.
The dispute pits a majority of the 11-member top court against the new president, who took office last month, over the limits of the court’s power to review the constitutional judicial overhaul that requires a switch to a system of elected judges over the next couple years.
The overhaul was passed by a two-thirds majority of Congress in September, and then approved by a majority of Mexico’s state legislatures, both requirements for constitutional amendments.
Only three members of the court have publicly stated they support the reform.
“It has to be made very clear that eight justices cannot be above the people,” Sheinbaum told reporters at her morning press conference, adding her government is ready to respond to any ruling from the court in the coming days.
The reform has spooked markets and drawn criticism from the U.S., Mexico’s largest trade partner, which said it put the country’s rule of law at risk.
(Reporting by Raul Cortes Fernandez; Editing by Stephen Eisenhammer)
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