Former Lawyer For ‘El Chapo’ Among Those Running To Be Mexico’s Next Elected Judges

A sweeping judicial reform was introduced in Mexico last year during the presidency of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador 2024, dictating that judges across the country, including Supreme Court justices, will now be elected by popular vote rather than appointed by the Executive Branch and confirmed by the Senate.

The reform means that now there is a pool of 50,000 candidates vying for federal and state judgeships, which will be on the ballot for the first time on June 1. Among them is Silvia Delgado, a 51-year-old lawyer from Ciudad Juárez and best known for representing Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán between 2016 and 2017.

Miguel Alfonso Meza, an anti-corruption activist, told The Washington Post that cases like Delgado’s raise concerns about potential conflicts of interest that could affect how judges and magistrates issue rulings.

“You can’t one day be defending the Sinaloa cartel, and the next day be in a job where you’re judging a lot of people who belong to the Sinaloa Cartel,” he told the outlet.

Although Delgado is not seeking a federal post, she would still preside over cases involving homicide, extortion, car theft and low-level drug offenses if elected to be a criminal-court judge in Chihuahua.

Reports about candidates with ties to criminal organizations have raised concerns about insufficient vetting process by the Mexican government. The requirements to run are three years of legal experience, a clean criminal record and letters of recommendation from colleagues or neighbors.

Under the current system, most judges are selected through a civil service process based on exams and professional experience. But legal scholars warn that under the new system, candidates could become beholden to groups capable of mobilizing votes—potentially including organized crime.

Roughly 850 federal judges, along with the entire Supreme Court, will be elected by voters on June 1.

Last month, Senate President Gerardo Fernández Noroña said screenings of judicial candidates had identified “some defense attorneys for drug traffickers who are trying to gain access” to the judiciary through the elections.

Despite being labeled a “high-risk” candidate by both Meza and Noroña, Delgado said her decision to represent Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán was purely professional and part of a quest to build her legal reputation.

As The Washington Post noted, some attorneys who defend drug traffickers are employed directly by criminal organizations, while others simply offer legal defense services. Delgado said her work for El Chapo fell into the latter category.

‘Narco mayors’

In recent months, several cases have surfaced involving local officials allegedly working directly with organized crime, earning them the label “narco mayors.”

One such case emerged in Teuchitlán, a rural community in Jalisco that drew national attention after a volunteer group uncovered a property allegedly used by the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) as a training camp, detention center and execution site.

José Ascensión Murguía Santiago, the town’s former mayor, was arrested earlier this month following an investigation that revealed alleged criminal ties between Teuchitlán officials and the CJNG, including kidnapping operations and the disposal of human remains at the Izaguirre Ranch.

Carlos Murillo, a professor at the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez who studies Mexico’s justice system, told The Washington Post that criminal influence in the June 1 vote is likely to be subtle but present.

“There will be penetration of organized crime,” he said. “Because it exists at all levels of society.” Murillo added that interest groups, including criminal organizations, are likely to pressure political parties to include their preferred candidates on nomination lists in order to secure appointments.