International
The Supreme Court of Mexico opens a debate to review the controversial reform of the Judiciary
The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) of Mexico opened a controversy this Thursday to decide whether it has the power to review the constitutional reform to the Judiciary of the Federation (PJF), which seeks to elect judges and magistrates by popular vote.
The decision, which was given after a majority vote of eight votes to three, admitted one of the challenges of judges and magistrates against the aforementioned reform, to analyze whether the high court can review the constitutional amendment.
The controversial judicial reform, promoted by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024) and promulgated on September 15, has raised criticism from various international organizations that claim that the rule of law in the country is at risk.
The Plenary of the SCJN agreed to open a dispute of those provided for in the Organic Law of the PJF, originally created to resolve conflicts within said Power.
“For this Plenary, there is no doubt that fraction XVII of article 11 is the ideal way to process a petition such as the one that motivated this consultation, that is, one in which justice makers ask this Court to verify whether the reform of the Constitutional text published on September 15, 2024, is compatible or not with judicial guarantees and principles, including the division of powers, judicial independence, as well as those inherent to the Constitutional Rule of Law,” the judgment points out.
The aforementioned amendment will cause more than 1,600 judicial positions to be elected by popular vote, in elections, a system that leaves the members of the PJF in a situation of uncertainty.
Can the reform of the Judiciary in Mexico be reviewed?
Prime Minister Piña Hernández, rapporteur Juan Luis González Alcántara, Jorge Mario Pardo Rebolledo, Margarita Ríos Farjat, Alfredo Gutiérrez Ortiz Mena, Luis María Aguilar Morales and Javier Laynez Potisek voted in favor of the project.
While ministers Lenia Batres, Yasmin Esquivel and Loretta Ortiz, related to former President López Obrador, voted against.
Batres defended that the Supreme Court “does not have the power to submit to review changes to the Constitution approved by the Legislative Branch because it would violate the principle of constitutional supremacy, as well as the division of powers and the Constitutional Rule of Law.”
The minister also said that the SCJN “is attempting a coup d’état,” it seeks to act in a tyrannical and despotic way since it intends to give itself the power to revise the Mexican Constitution.
Sheinbaum supports the reform
The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, defended last Tuesday, during her inauguration, the reform of the Judiciary and pointed out that it is not “authoritarianism” but, in essence, it is democratic.
“How is a decision going to be authoritarian that, in essence, is democratic and allows the people to decide?” the president said during her speech in the Mexican Congress.
He said that the objective is to end corruption in the Judiciary and for this, he recalled, there will be a single call in addition to a selection committee of candidates to ensure that they meet the requirements.
“And who will decide? It will be the people,” he emphasized.
He also took the opportunity to tell the workers of the Judiciary that their rights and salaries “are fully safeguarded.”
International
Peruvian Court Orders Definitive Dismissal of Money Laundering Case Against Keiko Fujimori
A court of Peru’s National Superior Court of Specialized Criminal Justice ordered the definitive dismissal of the criminal proceedings for alleged money laundering and criminal organization against presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, authorities reported on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.
The ruling was issued by the Tenth National Preparatory Investigation Court in compliance with a previous decision by the Constitutional Court (TC). The decision was confirmed by Fujimori’s attorney, Giuliana Loza, who said on social media platform X that “there was no money laundering nor criminal organization.”
According to the defense, the case was closed for lacking legal grounds and for violating due process. “The proceedings concluded because they lacked a legal basis and constituted clear prosecutorial persecution,” Loza stated.
Judge Wilson Verastegui, whose ruling was reported by local media, said the Constitutional Court determined that the facts alleged in the so-called ‘Cocktails Case’ do not constitute a criminal offense under the principle of legality. The court noted that the crime of illegal financing of political organizations was not in force at the time the alleged acts occurred.
The dismissal also applies to other leaders of the Fuerza Popular party, including Pier Figari, Ana Rosa Herz, Jaime Yoshiyama and José Chlimper, as well as the party itself.
Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori (1990–2000), had been under investigation for the alleged irregular financing of her 2011 and 2016 presidential campaigns, a case that exposed her to a possible 30-year prison sentence. However, one year ago the National Superior Court annulled the trial and returned the case to the intermediate stage.
Fujimori is currently pursuing her fourth presidential bid, ahead of Peru’s general elections scheduled for April.
International
Colombian Defense Chief Meets U.S. Officials to Advance Bilateral Narcotics Strategy
Colombia’s Minister of Defense, Pedro Sánchez Suárez, is in the United States this Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss bilateral cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking, Colombian officials said, in a visit that comes as ties between Bogotá and Washington begin to ease after a period of diplomatic tension.
The trip is seen as a prelude to a scheduled visit by Colombian President Gustavo Petro to Washington, where he is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump for the first time in early February. Sánchez will remain in Washington through Wednesday, according to Colombian government sources.
During his stay, Sánchez is slated to meet with senior U.S. officials, including representatives from the Department of Defense, members of the U.S. Senate, and White House advisors, to outline a joint strategy to “defeat drug trafficking” and expand cooperation on intelligence against transnational crime.
According to a statement from the Colombian Defense Ministry, the agenda will include strengthening collaboration on technology, intelligence sharing, and efforts to disrupt criminal networks that operate across borders. Officials said the discussions will also help set the stage for Petro’s upcoming talks with Trump.
The visit follows a period of strained U.S.–Colombia relations last year, when Washington revoked Petro’s visa and withdrew Colombia’s certification as a key partner in anti-drug efforts — moves that coincided with disagreements over counter-narcotics strategy and broader diplomatic frictions. However, a recent phone call between Petro and Trump, described as cordial by officials, helped lower tensions and reopened channels for dialogue ahead of the presidential meeting.
International
Dominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case
A Dominican court on Monday postponed until March a preliminary hearing against the owners of a nightclub that collapsed last year, killing more than 200 people.
The roof of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed in the early hours of April 8, 2025, during a concert by popular merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who died along with 235 other people.
Jet Set owner and manager Antonio Espaillat and his sister Maribel, who served as the club’s administrator, were arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter but were later released on bail after posting approximately $842,500.
Both appeared at the Palace of Justice, where they were met by a small protest from relatives and friends of the victims.
“Thirty years in prison is not enough” and “President, we want JUSTICE,” read signs held by demonstrators.
The preliminary hearing determines whether there is sufficient evidence to send the case to trial. The court decided to reschedule the hearing for March 16.
“We don’t want money and we’re not demanding anything else, only justice for those who died,” said Secundino Pérez, a 75-year-old shopkeeper who lost 12 friends in the Jet Set tragedy.
“Antonio and his family celebrated Christmas sitting at a table, celebrating their freedom,” said Edgar Gómez, who lost his daughter in the collapse.
The Dominican Republic’s Public Prosecutor’s Office maintains that the defendants “significantly altered” the structure of the nightclub. Prosecutors filed formal charges in November and requested that the case proceed to trial.
The charge of involuntary manslaughter carries a sentence of three months to two years in prison.
“May your conscience never let you sleep. I lost my son,” a woman shouted through tears before the hearing, while others chanted, “Murderers, murderers, murderers.”
Peruvian Court Orders Definitive Dismissal of Money Laundering Case Against Keiko Fujimori
Colombian Defense Chief Meets U.S. Officials to Advance Bilateral Narcotics Strategy
Dominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case
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