Mexico City, December 11.- Hours before concluding his term as Minister of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN), Franco González Salas maintains that, unlike 15 years ago, when he was appointed, today we have a more liberal and inclusive court, and points out that during his administration, at the constitutional level the most vigorous changes have occurred with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador:
"In light of the programs proposed during the last three administrations, the one established by President López Obrador since his campaign has undoubtedly entailed the most significant constitutional changes, as he has a different vision of how things should be. As a constitutional judge, I don't have to get involved in that area; my obligation was to do the best job possible," he said during the interview with La Jornada.
Franco González Salas stated that during his administration, he always sought to avoid the pressures involved in issuing a ruling in a case in order to "make the most appropriate decision in accordance with our constitutional framework."
The interview took place in the office the minister still occupies. Yesterday was his last day in office, and the bookshelves he used to occupy are now empty. Ornaments and family photographs have also been removed. Only an oil painting of Benito Juárez remains in the center of the office.
He maintained that, given his retirement, he is now unclear about what he will do in the near future. However, he stated that during his tenure as minister, a position he held since December 12, 2006, he witnessed very important changes to the Constitution, one of which was the 2011 reform regarding human rights. Now, with the arrival of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, we are experiencing the period of greatest constitutional transformation.
Performance and relevant cases
In the case of Justice Franco González Salas, it was not uncommon for him to offer to change his vote during votes that seemed likely to result in ties, or when a qualified majority was not reached, in the spirit of building solid decisions that would serve as a basis for future jurisprudence.
Among the matters he was responsible for presenting before the full SCJN, he was responsible for drafting the ruling that legally closed the conflict over the Los Chimalapas area, disputed by Oaxaca and Chiapas.
