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Supreme Court Decisions on Electoral Rules after Mexico's 1994 Judicial Reform: An Empowered Court

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2003

JODI FINKEL
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Abstract

In 1994 Mexico's ruling party granted new powers of judicial review and increased independence to the Mexican Supreme Court. Would these reforms enable the Court to overcome decades of judicial subordination? I examine all Mexican Supreme Court decisions addressing the constitutionality of electoral rules – rules that are inherently contentious because they determine the chances for obtaining power – during Zedillo's sexenio. These cases, culminating with a 1998 ruling counter to a key PRI political interest, demonstrate a fundamental change in Mexico's institutional power balance. This study also demonstrates the utility of electoral cases to evaluate Court power within and across countries.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Latin American Studies , Volume 35 , Issue 4 , November 2003 , pp. 777 - 799
Copyright
© 2003 Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

The author would like to thank Barbara Geddes, Tiffany Meyers, John Moody, Julie Taylor, Scott Torrance and David Finkel for their support and inspiration.