Indigenous lawyer leads race to head Mexico's Supreme Court

Straits Times

03-06-2025

Indigenous lawyer and Human Rights defender, Hugo Aguilar, delivers a speech during a rally in support of his candidacy as Justice of Mexico's Supreme Court of Justice (SCJN), ahead of the judicial and magistrate election, in San Agustin Tlacotepec, Oaxaca state, Mexico May 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jorge Luis Plata
MEXICO CITY - Indigenous rights defender Hugo Aguilar is leading in the race to head Mexico's highest court following the country's first popular election to appoint judges and magistrates, according to electoral authority data released on Tuesday.
With 90% of votes counted from Sunday's election, Aguilar had some 5.15 million votes, or 5.22% of the total. Lenia Batres, a close ally of the ruling Morena party, was behind him at 4.89 million votes, or 4.96%.
Most of the Supreme Court's nine positions are poised to be filled by people linked to Morena, electoral data showed. Over 3,000 candidates stood for judicial posts nationwide.
President Claudia Sheinbaum celebrated Aguilar's lead, saying the court had not had an Indigenous leader since Benito Juarez, a Zapotec who led the court during the mid-19th century before becoming Mexico's first Indigenous president.
"He is a very recognized lawyer, he has the credentials to join the court," Sheinbaum told a press conference. "This is the goal: equal access to justice for all Mexicans. How would this have happened under the previous process?"
Asked about the success of candidates close to her party, she cited opposition boycotts of the vote. "How can they complain if they decided not to participate?" she said.
Aguilar, a Mixtec lawyer from the southern state of Oaxaca, is currently lead rights coordinator for the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI), having been appointed in 2018 by former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
He studied constitutional law and has worked in various government offices as a coordinator and adviser for Indigenous rights, as well as land and agrarian affairs.
Voting on Sunday for some 2,600 judges and magistrates attracted an estimated 13% turnout. Critics denounced the process as too complex and said the vote could undermine the independence of the country's judicial system.
Speaking at a campaign event in his hometown of San Agustin Tlacotepec late last month, Aguilar said although the reform was controversial, Indigenous groups saw it as a historic opportunity for representation.
"The court has traditionally had private and financial sector jurists," Aguilar said. "We haven't had a labor lawyer who addresses workers' rights, an agrarian lawyer who addresses rural rights, or who understands this part of the population."
"The rights of the most vulnerable sectors of this country should matter," he added.
Aguilar, who said that if elected to the court he would wear Indigenous dress, has vowed to prioritize the collective decision-making rights of Indigenous communities.
Indigenous groups are allowed to apply their own traditions within the bounds of Mexican law, but conflicts have arisen over issues such as child marriage and ancestral land rights that clash with mining or infrastructure projects.
Some 23 million Mexicans - around 19% - consider themselves Indigenous, according to a 2020 census. However, they face disproportionate poverty and low political representation. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.