Outside Mexico's Senate building on Tuesday, university students wearing masks and dressed as the country's Supreme Court justices took turns smashing a black piñata with a stick. The piñata, covered in the word justicia, or justice, was filled with fake money -- a performance staged to illustrate the supposed corruption plaguing the country's judiciary.
The election of judges and magistrates by popular vote is a democratization of one of the most important powers of our country, said Layla Manilla, 21, one of the participating students.
Some worried about the end of judicial independence, while others celebrated the chance to vote in the people responsible for distributing justice. Many more were indifferent to the overhaul, unclear on exactly what to expect from the change.
The legislation would shift the judiciary from an appointment-based system, largely grounded in training and qualifications, to one in which voters elect judges and there are fewer requirements to serve.
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