Judge Lilia Mónica López Benítez resigns from the PJF

MEXICO CITY (apro) .- Magistrate and former advisor to the Federal Judiciary, Lilia Mónica López Benítez, stated that those who, with the judicial reform, accepted positions without being prepared for them, are committing corruption.

On October 10, in a regular session of the Seventh Collegiate Criminal Court of Mexico City, Judge López Benítez requested leave from her position at the Federal Judicial Branch (PJF) to begin her early retirement process after 36 years at the institution.

The judge, who served as a counselor to the Federal Judiciary during the administration of retired Minister Norma Lucía Piña Hernández, was one of the judges who opposed the popular vote for the election of judges and magistrates and the early dismissal of those who hold those positions, in accordance with the constitutional reform promoted by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

"I have witnessed a time of light and shadow, of advances and setbacks. I was part of a generation that believed in professionalization, merit, and judicial independence as pillars of a country that aspires to equality before the law, and I have also witnessed the dismantling of that effort, how the meaning of public service is blurred when political power confuses the popular will with true democracy," she said in her final session as a federal judge.

“The 2024 judicial reform not only transformed institutions, it changed the soul of the Mexican justice system. It took away the certainty of a power unfounded by constitutional commitment and replaced it with the uncertainty of political change. I have seen colleagues forced to leave their positions not for incompetence but for honoring their duty. We, the judges and magistrates who broke through glass ceilings, were dismissed without any consideration.”

López Benítez revealed that before making the decision to step down, she requested a three-day unpaid leave from the Judicial Administration Body (OAJ) to participate in a European Union event, but was denied because her court has two judges elected by popular vote and, given her experience as a judge, it was necessary for all three to continue functioning with full integration, which the judge considered absurd.

“My conclusion: I was dismissed, even though it was necessary. Despite everything, I still believe in the transformative power of the law, which is why I refuse to view this departure as a defeat. I leave with the serenity of someone who endured without renouncing their principles, with the certainty that time will put in their place those who confused service with submission and power with justice. I cannot speak of the end of an era without mentioning the mourning process. Judicial reform not only affected appointments, it also shattered life plans, vocations, and dreams.

“But even in the midst of pain, I cling to dignity as a last refuge, because no reform can erase what my fellow judges built with effort, study, and integrity. What remains is the mark left by generations of people prepared and committed to justice, because accepting a position for which one is not prepared has a name: corruption.”

He stated that he will continue fighting for justice from other spaces outside the Federal Judiciary (PJF).