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Mexico's judicial reform: elected judges, a nine member Supreme Court, a disciplinary court, the staggered 2025 and 2028 elections and what it means for disputes

Last verified: 2026-10-26 · Status: Changing

The constitutional reform of 15 September 2024 made all federal judges elected by popular vote: the Supreme Court, the electoral court, the new Disciplinary Court, circuit magistrates and district judges, with half of the circuit and district posts elected in June 2025. The Supreme Court now has nine members elected for staggered terms ending in 2033 and 2036, the Federal Judiciary Council was replaced by an administration body and a Disciplinary Court that anyone may petition, and circuit and district judges serve nine year terms and can be re elected. A June 2026 amendment moved the second half of the judicial election from 2027 to the first Sunday of June 2028, with judges whose terms would end in 2027 staying until those elected take office on 1 September 2028.

Key facts

Number of Supreme Court justices	9 justicesConstitution art. 94, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Federal judges elected by popular vote	Yes, since the 2024 reform (first election June 2025) Constitution arts. 94 to 97; decree DOF 15 September 2024, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Term of circuit magistrates and district judges	9 yearsConstitution art. 97, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Next federal judicial election	First Sunday of June 2028 Decree DOF 2 June 2026, transitory art. Third, as of 2026-10-26 · pending
Date judges elected in 2028 take office	2028-09-01 dateDecree DOF 2 June 2026, transitory art. Third, as of 2026-10-26 · pending

The rule

1. Elected judges and a nine member Supreme Court. The federal judicial power sits in a Supreme Court, an Electoral Court, regional plenaries, collegiate circuit courts, collegiate appeal courts and district courts. Administration belongs to a judicial administration body and discipline to the Disciplinary Court. The Supreme Court has nine members and sits in plenary and, with the plenary's approval, in two sections; since the June 2026 amendment its presidency rotates every two years according to votes obtained in the election. The administration body sets the number, circuits and subject specialization of courts, including broadcasting, telecommunications and competition.
Cost to do it: No direct cost; specialized competition and telecom courts matter for regulated businesses.Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, decree DOF 2 June 2026 amending the 2024 judicial reform (Chamber of Deputies consolidated text, last reform DOF 7 October 2026), Art. 94, 2026-06-02 official text · verified 2026-10-26 · changed: Decree DOF 2 June 2026 amended art. 94 (presidency rotating every two years by votes, possibility of two sections).

2. Nine year terms, re election and eligibility for circuit and district judges. Circuit magistrates and district judges serve nine years and may be re elected consecutively at the end of each term; they cannot be moved outside the circuit where they were elected except exceptionally by the Disciplinary Court. Candidates need Mexican nationality by birth, a law degree with an average of at least eight (nine in subjects related to the post), three years of practice for magistrates, good reputation, residence in Mexico in the prior year, and must not have held certain political offices in the prior year. Anyone may file a complaint with the Disciplinary Court about possible administrative or criminal misconduct by any federal judicial official, including justices, magistrates and judges.
Cost to do it: A complaint to the Disciplinary Court is free; it does not suspend or replace the case itself.Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, decree on judicial reform DOF 15 September 2024 (Chamber of Deputies consolidated text, last reform DOF 7 October 2026), Art. 97, 2024-09-15 official text · verified 2026-10-26

3. The 2025 extraordinary election and the end of the Judiciary Council. The 2024 decree started an extraordinary electoral process that elected, on the first Sunday of June 2025, all Supreme Court justices, the vacant electoral posts, all regional electoral magistrates, the Disciplinary Court and half of circuit magistrates and district judges per judicial circuit (first vacancies, resignations and retirements, then by public lottery). The Disciplinary Court and the administration body started functioning when the elected Disciplinary Court magistrates took office, and the Federal Judiciary Council was extinguished on that date. Justices elected in 2025 serve eight or eleven years, so four terms end in 2033 and five in 2036, with longer terms for those with more votes.
Cost to do it: No direct cost; existing cases continued before the courts as reorganized.Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, decree on judicial reform DOF 15 September 2024 (Chamber of Deputies consolidated text, last reform DOF 7 October 2026), Transitory arts. Second, Third and Sixth of the decree of DOF 15 September 2024, 2024-09-15 official text · verified 2026-10-26

4. The second half moves to 2028. The June 2026 amendment provides that the federal and state judicial posts not renewed in 2025, and vacancies, are elected without exception in the 2028 federal and state judicial elections, held together on the first Sunday of June 2028. Judges whose terms would have ended in the 2027 election year remain until those elected take office; electoral Supreme Chamber magistrates in office whose terms would end in 2027 stay until 2028. Those elected take office before the Senate on 1 September 2028 and are assigned to courts by 15 September 2028. Congress had 90 calendar days to adapt federal laws, and state legislatures 60 days for constitutions and 90 for laws.
Cost to do it: No direct cost; contracts with long performance periods will be litigated before courts with a second wave of newly elected judges from September 2028.Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, decree DOF 2 June 2026 amending the 2024 judicial reform (Chamber of Deputies consolidated text, last reform DOF 7 October 2026), Transitory arts. Second, Third and Fourth of the decree of DOF 2 June 2026; transitory art. Second, fourth paragraph, of the decree of DOF 15 September 2024 as amended, 2026-06-02 official text · verified 2026-10-26 · changed: Decree DOF 2 June 2026 moved the election of the remaining circuit magistrates and district judges from 2027 to the first Sunday of June 2028, with swearing in on 1 September 2028.

5. Six month cap for certain tax cases and alternative mechanisms. Courts are free and judicial costs are prohibited. The 2024 reform requires the laws to set amounts and cases in tax matters in which administrative courts, district judges, circuit courts or the Supreme Court must rule within six months of taking up the case; if the term passes without judgment, the court must notify the Disciplinary Court (or the internal control body for administrative courts) and justify the delay. The Constitution also requires laws to provide alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
Cost to do it: No court fees; the six month cap applies only to tax matters and amounts defined by law.Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, decree on judicial reform DOF 15 September 2024 (Chamber of Deputies consolidated text, last reform DOF 7 October 2026), Art. 17, 2024-09-15 official text · verified 2026-10-26

6. Literal interpretation of the reform. The 2024 decree orders all State bodies and courts to apply it literally, with no analogous or extensive interpretation aimed at not applying, suspending, modifying or nullifying its terms.
Cost to do it: No direct cost; amparo is also inadmissible against constitutional amendments and against acts of the Supreme Court, the administration body and the Disciplinary Court (Ley de Amparo art. 61, sections I to III).Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, decree on judicial reform DOF 15 September 2024 (Chamber of Deputies consolidated text, last reform DOF 7 October 2026), Transitory art. Eleventh of the decree of DOF 15 September 2024, 2024-09-15 official text · verified 2026-10-26

Date	Event	Source
15 September 2024	Judicial reform decree published; in force the next day	Decree DOF 15 September 2024, transitory First
First Sunday of June 2025	Extraordinary election: Supreme Court, Disciplinary Court, half of circuit and district judges	Transitory Second
Swearing in of the Disciplinary Court	Disciplinary Court and administration body start; Judiciary Council extinguished	Transitory Sixth
2 June 2026	Second half of the election moved from 2027 to 2028	Decree DOF 2 June 2026
First Sunday of June 2028	Federal and state judicial elections for remaining posts	Decree DOF 2 June 2026, transitory Third
1 September 2028	Judges elected in 2028 take office	Decree DOF 2 June 2026, transitory Third
2033 and 2036	End of terms of the Supreme Court justices elected in 2025	Decree DOF 15 September 2024, transitory Third

Judicial reform timeline, verified 26 October 2026 against the Constitution and the transitory articles of the decrees of DOF 15 September 2024 and DOF 2 June 2026.

Worked example

A Canadian infrastructure fund negotiating a 20 year concession related supply contract in 2026 knows that its disputes could reach a district court whose judge is elected in June 2028 and takes office on 1 September 2028.
It chooses arbitration seated in Mexico City under the Commercial Code, where courts may intervene only in listed cases and enforcement is a special trial with no appeal, and keeps the USMCA and ICSID treaty routes in view for measures by the State.
For regulatory acts it cannot arbitrate (permits, fines), it plans for amparo and the Federal Administrative Court, whose deadlines are 15 and 30 days.

Step by step

1. Map which disputes in your contracts would go to courts (regulatory acts, non arbitrable matters, enforcement) and which can go to arbitration.
2. For contracts signed now, consider arbitration with a Mexican seat and a clear institution, or a foreign seat if assets are mostly abroad.
3. Track the 2028 election calendar for courts that hear your sector (competition and telecom specialized courts, administrative courts).
4. Use the Disciplinary Court complaint route for judicial misconduct, separately from appeals or amparo.

Common traps

Assuming the transition ended in 2025. Half of circuit and district posts are elected in June 2028 (decree DOF 2 June 2026).
Reading 2027 in older sources. The 2027 date for the second election was replaced by 2028.
Expecting courts to soften the reform. The 2024 decree orders literal application (transitory Eleventh).
Treating a disciplinary complaint as an appeal. It targets the official's conduct and does not change the ruling.

Sources

← Amparo in Mexico: the constitutional claim against laws and authority acts, the 15 day deadline, suspension after the October 2025 reform and tax guaranteesInvestment treaty arbitration with Mexico: ICSID since 2018, the narrow USMCA routes for US investors, CPTPP for other partners, and enforcement of awards →