The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation ( es, Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación (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. It consists of eleven

magistrates The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

, known as ''ministers of the court'', one of whom is designated the court's ''president''. Judges of the SCJN are appointed for 15 years.Article 94 Mexican Constitution They are ratified through affirmation by the Senate from a list proposed by the President of the Republic. 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 a natural born citizen of Mexico. * 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 Federal District Attorney, Senator, Member of Parliament, Governor of any State, or Chief Executive of the Federal District 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

Suprema_Corte_de_Justicia_de_la_Nación_-_México

Suprema_Corte_de_Justicia_de_la_Nación_-_México_II

The court itself is located just off the main plaza of

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

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 is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms. Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent, t ...

, 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 state of Veracruz, Mexico, 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 regio ...

. Hernán Cortés 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 Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a c ...

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, 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 establi ...

entitled "War and Peace" at the entrance to the law library. The building also contains a mural by

Rafael Cauduro Rafael may refer to: * Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin * Rafael, California * Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israeli manufacturer of weapons and military technology * Hurricane Rafael, a 2012 hurricane Fiction * ''R ...

, which "graphically illustrates the Gran Guignol of Mexican torture", and includes a depiction of the 1968

Tlatelolco massacre On October 2, 1968 in the Tlatelolco section of Mexico City, the Mexican Armed Forces opened fire on a group of unarmed civilians in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas who were protesting the upcoming 1968 Summer Olympics. The Mexican government and ...

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 * 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) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manu ...

* 1927–1928: Francisco Díaz Lombardo * 1928–1929: Jesús Guzmán Vaca * 1929–1933: Julio García * 1934: Francisco H. Ruiz * 1934–1940:

Daniel V. Valencia Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...

* 1941–1951:

Salvador Urbina Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

* 1952:

Roque Estrada Reynoso Roque Estrada Reynoso. Lawyer, journalist, writer. Born in Moyahua, Zacatecas on August 16, 1883. His parents were José Camilo Estrada Haro and Micaela Reynoso Espitia. His younger brother was Enrique Estrada. He organized workers in a socialist p ...

* 1953:

Hilario Medina Hilario or Hilário can be both a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Hilario (1905–1989), Spanish footballer and manager * Hilário (born 1939), Portuguese footballer and manager * Hilário (born 1975), Por ...

* 1954: José María Ortiz Tirado * 1955–1956: Vicente Santos Guajardo * 1957:

* 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 is a character (arts), character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in ...

* 1977–1981: Agustín Téllez Cruces * 1982:

* 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 ( ; la, Ianvs ) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicte ...

* 2002–2006:

Mariano Azuela Güitrón Mariano Azuela Güitrón (born 1 April 1936 in Mexico City) is 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 a ...

* 2007–2010:

Guillermo Iberio Ortiz Mayagoitia Guillermo Iberio Ortiz Mayagoitia (born 10 February 1941) is a Mexican jurist and former Supreme Court Justice. He previously served as the President (Chief Justice) of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation from 2 January 2007 to 31 December 2 ...

* 2011–2014: Juan N. Silva Meza * 2015–2018: Luis María Aguilar Morales * 2019–incumbent: Arturo Zaldívar Lelo de Larrea

References

External links

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

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

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