The Integration of The Full Bench of Judicial Disciplinary Courts in Subnational Mexico after The First Election: Continuity or Change among Disciplinary Elites

Abstract

Mexico has undergone a radical change in the way it selects judges for the country’s 33 judicial powers. The constitutional reform reconfigured the bodies that enforce the disciplinary regime with the disappearance of the Judicial Councils and the entry into operation of the Judicial Disciplinary Tribunals. This study aims to make a comparative exercise to understand the degree of change in the integration of disciplinary elites in Mexican states. To this end, an analysis was conducted of the educational and professional profiles of the judges in the nineteen entities where the first judicial elections were held. The results showed a decline in educational attainment, specialization, knowledge of the judicial branch, professional quality, and expertise among those who are now beginning to occupy seats in the new magistracies.