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June 17, 2025

Indigenous Lawyer Elected to Head Mexico's Supreme Court
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In Mexico, nine newly elected Supreme Court justices received their
certificates of victory following the country's first-ever judicial
elections in May. The incoming head of the Supreme Court is Hugo Aguilar
Ortiz, a Mixtec Indigenous lawyer from Oaxaca, who becomes the first
Indigenous person to hold Mexico's highest judicial office. Ortiz spoke
during the election certification ceremony.

Hugo Aguilar Ortiz: "The days when our words, our requests and even our
mere presence were met with ridicule and discrimination in these very
institutions are now behind us. Thank you for everything. The history of
Mexico cannot be understood without considering the participation of
Indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples at various moments of
transformation. The electoral process we are now completing was no
exception. I am confident that this is the beginning of the full
inclusion of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples in the public life of
our country."

Mexico's judicial election turned out just 13% of eligible voters. It
came following hotly contested reforms last year. Judges aligned with
the ruling Morena party dominated the election, including the makeup of
the Supreme Court.


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