As Mexican protesters block Congress over judicial overhaul, lawmakers head to vote in nearby gym

Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Protesters in Mexico City are blocking the entrance to Congress over proposals that would make judges stand for election. Many employees, including those at the Supreme Court, have gone on strike to protest constitutional reforms proposed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s Morena party. They say the reforms would politicize and de-professionalize the court system. The government claims courts are corrupt while critics say it is a power grab by the president and a blow to judicial independence. Mexico’s courts have long been plagued by corruption and opacity but in the last 15 years they have been subject to reforms to make them more open and accountable.