ABSTRACT
Judicial institutions had limited jurisdiction and excluded political questions: the existence of political rights became uncertain when there were no means for protecting them. Moreover, the president appointed the justices of the Supreme Court. Judicial reform came about in part because independent judiciaries were seen as essential to achieve economic competitiveness. Thus, on December 6, 1994, President Ernesto Zedillo sent Congress a constitutional amendment that reduced the Supreme Court of Justice from twenty-six to eleven seats and selected its members by the Senate choosing each justice from three names that the president presented for its consideration. Each justice would have a single term of office of fifteen years. The reform also created a Judiciary Council that absorbed all the administrative tasks the Court used to handle.
