Mexico City, February 16.—Amid the judicial election process on June 1, Justice Lenia Batres Guadarrama called on citizens this weekend to demand that those aspiring to become judges, magistrates, and ministers not view the Federal Judicial Branch (PJF) as an opportunity to get rich.
Participating in a discussion with students, lawyers, and citizens about judicial reform, organized by the Regional Cultural Center of Valle de Bravo, State of Mexico, the member of t
he Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) stated that judges must assume that the sole purpose of those who work there is to provide a public service, to be useful in resolving conflicts that arise in society.
"We should demand that absolutely no one think they should become a millionaire there. Anyone who occupies a position in a court or tribunal, a judge, a magistrate, or a minister, should be strictly prohibited from thinking it's a position to become a millionaire," the judge said, according to an information card she distributed this Sunday.
It should be noted that on December 14, when submitting his first annual report, Batres accused the PJF of failing to comply with the maximum salary limit established by Article 127 of the Constitution for 14 years, which means that to date it has "diverted" more than 30 billion pesos from the public treasury through "bonuses" higher than those of the President of the Republic.
Work
In last Saturday's talk, the minister told law students that the ultimate goal of their profession should not be profit, since the free exercise of other people's rights depends on their work. Therefore, the success they seek should be measured by the prestige generated by achieving that goal, rather than by the wealth obtained.
"I say that more important than money is the prestige that comes from recognition. Well-earned prestige will also help you have more people seeking you out to ask you to handle their business," he noted.
