Legal System of Mexico

Mexico is located in North America. It is geographically situated in north america, bordering the caribbean sea and the gulf of america, between belize and the united states and bordering the north pacific ocean, between guatemala and the united states. The country achieved independence on 16 september 1810 (declared independence from spain); 27 september 1821 (recognized by spain). The capital is Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico).

Government Overview

Government Type: federal presidential republic Chief of State: President Claudia SHEINBAUM Pardo (since 1 October 2024) Head of Government: President Claudia SHEINBAUM Pardo (since 1 October 2024) Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president Administrative Divisions: 32 states (estados, singular - estado); Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Cuidad de Mexico, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatan, Zacatecas National Holiday: Independence Day, 16 September (1810) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Legal System

The legal system of Mexico is described as civil law system with US constitutional law influence; judicial review of legislative acts International Law: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: several previous; latest approved 5 February 1917 Amendment Process: proposed by the Congress of the Union; passage requires approval by at least two thirds of the members present and approval by a majority of the state legislatures

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): Supreme Court of Justice or Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación (consists of the chief justice and 11 justices and organized into civil, criminal, administrative, and labor panels) and the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary (organized into the superior court, with 7 judges including the court president, and 5 regional courts, each with 3 judges) Judge Selection: Supreme Court justices nominated by the president of the republic and approved by two-thirds vote of the members present in the Senate; justices serve 15-year terms; Electoral Tribunal superior and regional court judges nominated by the Supreme Court and elected by two-thirds vote of members present in the Senate; superior court president elected from among its members to hold office for a 4-year term; other judges of the superior and regional courts serve staggered, 9-year terms Subordinate Courts: federal level includes circuit, collegiate, and unitary courts; state and district level courts

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of bicameral Note: note: as of the 2018 election, senators will be eligible for a second term and deputies up to 4 consecutive terms Lower Chamber: Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) (500 (all directly elected) seats) Electoral System (Lower Chamber): mixed system Upper Chamber: Senate (Cámara de Senadores)

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: yes Citizenship by Descent: yes Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Historical Background

Mexico was the site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations -- including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec -- until Spain conquered and colonized the area in the early 16th century. Administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain for three centuries, it achieved independence early in the 19th century.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Mexico based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.