Judge Rafael Guerra was re-elected this Friday president of the Superior Court of Justice (TSJ) of Mexico City, obtaining more than the two-thirds necessary (60 votes in favor out of a possible 79) to consolidate his continuity. Guerra, the jurist close to former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador and in office since 2019, will inaugurate his third term at the helm of the court, despite the judges’ voices calling for change after the murder of lawyer David Cohen and workers’ protests. This was the last election to take place through the vote of the body’s magistrates, since in the next elections in 2027 the new positions will be elected by the people.
Guerra was re-elected, overturning the positions of Rosalba Guerrero and Celia Marín, who anticipated a change in the future of the justice body. Both told this newspaper that the scenario has changed since they faced Guerra in the vote, which had turned the TSJ into his turf. Guerra sought re-election by standing as one of five candidates for the presidency of the capital’s High Court. Also among the names were Ramón Alejandro Sentíes Carriles, who obtained six votes, and Rosalba Guerrero, who obtained 10. The other magistrates voted were Celia Marín and Arturo Eduardo García Salcedo. Both got one vote each.
Guerra opted for the working class in his speech before the vote: “This program continues to be a commitment to the working class. The women and men who make up the working class are the beginning and the end of our institution. They constitute the foundation of our strength.” And he argued that this election is an opportunity. “The Mexico City judiciary faces an enormous challenge and, at the same time, a profound opportunity to demonstrate that justice is humane and sensitive,” he said.
The election comes shortly after the murder of lawyer David Cohen, who died in mid-October in a hospital in the capital, a few hours after being shot several times in broad daylight, near the TSJ headquarters. A case that has shaken the insecurity in the capital. Some experts interpreted this decision as an affront to Rafael Guerra due to the alleged closeness he had with Cohen. The current president of the TSJ also denied that they would have met on the same day: “There was no appointment, no informal meeting, no conversation between Cohen and Guerra.”
Guerra managed to have a strong presence in the justice system. He had to leave office on September 1st, but the day before he managed to obtain from the Mexico City Congress the possibility of running again and extending his office until the end of the year. Guerra also tried to run for the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN), but was unable to participate in the selection due to his academic average.
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