The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (, SCJN) is the Mexican institution serving as the country's federal high court and the spearhead organisation for the judiciary of the Mexican Federal Government. Judges of the SCJN are appointed for 15 years.Article 94 Mexican Constitution They are ratified through affirmation by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

from a list proposed by the

president of the republic The President of the Republic is a title used for heads of state and/or heads of government in countries having republican form of government. Designation In most cases the president of a republic is elected, either: * by direct universal s ...

. The ministers chosen will select from among themselves who shall be the president of the court to serve a four-year period; any given minister may serve out more than one term as president, but may not do so consecutively.

Requirements for holding a seat on the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation

* Be no less than 35 years of age nor over 65 years of age at the time of one's appointment * Have held a law degree for at least 10 years. * To have a good reputation and have not have been convicted of theft, fraud, forgery, breach of trust, or any other offense which could imply a punishment of more than one year in prison. * Not have been Director for Domestic Affairs, Chief of an Administrative Department, Attorney General of the Republic or as Mexico City Attorney General, Senator, Member of Parliament, Governor of any State, or Chief Executive of Mexico City during the year prior to his or her appointment. The Constitution requires that the appointment of ministers of the court should fall to those persons who have served ably, effectively and honorably in the administration of justice, or to those who have distinguished themselves by their honor, competence and professional background in the exercise of their duties. Ministers may take leave of their posts for three reasons: * The end of their terms * Relinquishment, which is only allowed in serious cases, all of which must be affirmed by the President and accepted or discarded by the Senate. * Voluntary retirement: Proceeds when the interested party requests their retirement, as long as they meet the conditions of age and seniority.

Supreme Court building

The court itself is located just off the main plaza of

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

on the corners of Pino Suarez and Carranza Streets. It was built between 1935 and 1941 by Mexican architect Antonio Muñoz Garcia. Prior to the

Conquest Conquest involves the annexation or control of another entity's territory through war or Coercion (international relations), coercion. Historically, conquests occurred frequently in the international system, and there were limited normative or ...

, this site was reserved for the ritual known as '' Dance of the Flyers'' which is still practiced today in

Papantla Papantla () is a city and municipality located in the north of the Mexican state of Veracruz, in the Sierra Papanteca range and on the Gulf of Mexico. The city was founded in the 13th century by the Totonacs and has dominated the Totonacapan reg ...

Hernán Cortés Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca (December 1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions o ...

claimed the property after the Conquest and its ownership was in dispute during much of the colonial period with Cortes' heirs, the city government, and the Royal and Pontifical University all claiming rights. It was also the site of a very large market known as El Volador. Within the building, there are four flanks painted in 1941 by

José Clemente Orozco José Clemente Orozco (November 23, 1883 – September 7, 1949) was a Mexican caricaturist and painter, who specialized in political murals that established the Mexican Mural Renaissance together with murals by Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siquei ...

, two of which are named ''The Social Labor Movement'' and ''Commonwealth''. There is also a mural done by American artist

George Biddle George Biddle (January 24, 1885 – November 6, 1973) was an American painter, muralist and lithographer, best known for his social realism and combat art. A childhood friend of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, he played a major role in establis ...

entitled "War and Peace" at the entrance to the law library. The building also contains a mural by Rafael Cauduro, which "graphically illustrates the Gran Guignol of Mexican torture", and includes a depiction of the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre as well as "a cut-away of a prison, perhaps the infamous Lecumberri Black Palace where student leaders who escaped death were jailed." While this building is still the chief seat for the Supreme Court, an alternative site at Avenida Revolución was opened in 2002.

Current make-up of the Supreme Court

Presidents

The following persons were once Presidents of the Supreme Court under the 1917 Constitution: * 1917–1919: Enrique M. del Río * 1919–1920:

Ernesto Garza Pérez Ernesto, form of the name Ernest in several Romance languages, may refer to: * ''Ernesto'' (novel) (1953), an unfinished autobiographical novel by Umberto Saba, published posthumously in 1975 ** ''Ernesto'' (film), a 1979 Italian drama loosely ba ...

* 1920–1922: Enrique Moreno Pérez * 1922–1923: Gustavo A. Vicencio * 1923–1924: Francisco Modesto Ramírez * 1924–1925: Gustavo A. Vicencio * 1925–1927:

Manuel Padilla Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name), a given name and surname * Manuel (''Fawlty Towers''), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manuel I of Portugal, king of Po ...

* 1927–1928: Francisco Díaz Lombardo * 1928–1929: Jesús Guzmán Vaca * 1929–1933: Julio García * 1934: Francisco H. Ruiz * 1934–1940: Daniel V. Valencia * 1941–1951: Salvador Urbina * 1952: Roque Estrada Reynoso * 1953: Hilario Medina * 1954: José María Ortiz Tirado * 1955–1956: Vicente Santos Guajardo * 1957: Hilario Medina * 1958: Agapito Pozo Balbás * 1959–1964: Alfonso Guzmán Neyra * 1965–1968: Agapito Pozo Balbás * 1969–1973: Alfonso Guzmán Neyra * 1974–1975: Euquerio Guerrero López * 1976: Mario G. Rebolledo Fernández * 1977–1981: Agustín Téllez Cruces * 1982: Mario G. Rebolledo Fernández * 1982–1985: Jorge Iñárritu y Ramírez de Aguilar * 1986–1990: Carlos del Río Rodríguez * 1991–1994: Ulises Schmill Ordóñez * 1995–1999: José Vicente Aguinaco Alemán * 1999–2002:

Genaro David Góngora Pimentel Genaro (from the Latin Januarius, meaning "devoted to Janus In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus ( ; ) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as havin ...

* 2002–2006:

Mariano Azuela Güitrón Mariano Azuela Güitrón (1 April 1936 – 16 May 2025) was a Mexican jurist who was a member of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) from 1983 to 2009 and served as its president (chief justice) from 2003 to 2007. Personal life an ...

* 2007–2010: Guillermo Iberio Ortiz Mayagoitia * 2011–2014: Juan N. Silva Meza * 2015–2018:

Luis María Aguilar Morales Luis María Aguilar Morales (born 4 November 1949) is a Mexican jurist who served as a member of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation from 2009 to 2024. He was president of the Court between January 2015 and December 2018. Born in Mexico ...

* 2019–2022: Arturo Zaldívar Lelo de Larrea * 2023–incumbent:

Norma Lucía Piña Hernández Norma Lucía Piña Hernández (born 29 July 1960) is a Mexican lawyer, educator, and president of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation since 2 January 2023, being the first woman ever to hold that position. She has been a member of the S ...

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation Judiciary of Mexico

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Landmarks in Mexico City Buildings and structures in Mexico City Government agencies established in 1917 State archives 20th century in Mexico Mexican art