To Her Excellency

Dr. MARGARET L. SATTERTHWAITE
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers

Geneve, Switzerland

Subject: Technical note in response to the Mexican constitutional reform, which established popular elections as a means of entry into the judicial career (judge) in Mexico.

Your Excellency the Special Rapporteur,

The BRAZILIAN MAGISTRATES ASSOCIATION – AMB, an entity that represents the interests of Brazilian judges at the national level, comes before you to present a Technical Note, attached to this letter, prepared at the request of the Association of Magistrates of the Military Justice of the Union – Amajum, an AMB affiliate, through which it expresses concern about the aspects involving Mexico’s constitutional reform, which changed the way of entering the judiciary, establishing that the country’s judges, at all levels, will enter their careers through popular election.

In this Technical Note, AMB expresses its understanding of this reform and rejects any similar intention in Brazil, since it is a measure that undermines the independence of the Judiciary, undermining its capacity to be an effective institution for protecting fundamental rights and guarantees and for safeguarding the democratic order.

As it is in the interest of all the magistrates’ associations, we are sending you the English and Spanish versions, together with the original in Portuguese.

That being all there is for the moment, we renew the assurance of our high esteem and consideration and remain at your disposal.

Brasília, December 5, 2024.

Frederico Mendes Júnior
President of the Brazilian Magistrates Association (AMB)

Geraldo Dutra de Andrade Neto
Judge Secretary of International Relations of the Brazilian Magistrates Association (AMB)

Access the technical note at this link