The plenary of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) of Mexico elected this Monday, in a closed vote and a controversial process, Minister Norma Piña as the new president for the period 2022-2026. She thus becomes the first woman to chair this body.

In a solemn and public session, which began shortly after 12 noon local time at the headquarters of the country’s highest court, the other ministers elected Piña with six votes out of 11 as the new head of the SCJN, after five candidates presented themselves.

Piña, a minister since 2015 proposed by former President Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-2018), was elected after a controversial process for the candidacy of Yasmín Esquivel, a minister close to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador accused of plagiarizing her bachelor’s thesis.

The election consisted of three rounds of voting, and in the end, Piña achieved victory by 6 votes to 5 over the other finalist, Minister Alfredo Gutiérrez Ortiz Mena.

reach an inaccessible place

Piña delivered her first speech in the new position, in which she highlighted the importance of a woman presiding over this justice body for the first time, since she considered that an “inaccessible glass ceiling” had been broken.

“Being the first woman to preside over this highest court, I also represent women. On our behalf, I thank my colleagues for their consistency, I recognize the extremely important determination of the majority of this full court to break what seemed an inaccessible glass ceiling,” he said.

She affirmed that she felt accompanied, supported, agreed by all women and thanked those who have always believed, those who have not tired of trying changes that little by little corner our patriarchal culture.

At the same time, he promised to work “for a fairer, more egalitarian society, without violence against women. That is a desire, there is no doubt about it”.

Piña is a graduate of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Since 2015 she was appointed judge of the Supreme Court, where until now she was minister of the First Chamber.

discussions

The election of Minister Piña was surrounded by the controversy that broke out days ago around the candidate Yasmín Esquivel, nominated by López Obrador in 2019 amid controversy for being wife of a contractor close to the government and now accused of plagiarizing her undergraduate thesis.

On December 21, it was revealed in the media that the thesis of the Mexican Supreme Court Minister, outgoing from the Faculty of Higher Studies Aragón, was similar to that of the graduate of the UNAM Law School José Báez, at that same university.

However, the minister denied the accusations. For several days, she even presented alleged evidence based on letters from her thesis advisors and denounced that her work was plagiarized, despite the fact that her thesis was presented in 1986 and Báez’s in 1985.

“Today with complete peace of mind and not only with sayings, but based on the resolution of an authority, it is confirmed that the professional thesis that I presented to obtain my bachelor’s degree is my authorship and the subject was conceived while I was studying and working in confidence in the public service, he said in a statement before the vote.

Esquivel affirmed that there were those who “for economic, leadership or political reasons, wanted to weaken this Court.” And he added: “I did not lend myself nor will I lend myself to it.”

Despite the controversy, which even led the UNAM to carry out investigations where it “recognized” similarities between both works, Esquivel refused to give up his candidacy. However, the minister lost her options in the second round of voting where she only got one vote.

Piña will succeed Arturo Zaldívar, a minister accused of being too close to President López Obrador, who had proposed a legal reform to extend his term in front of the SCJN.

Faced with the questions, López Obrador assured in his morning conference that the election in the Supreme Court is “independent” and “free”, but accused the Judiciary of being kidnapped by interests.

Source: EFE