ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jorge Gaxiola Lappe

Jorge Gaxiola Lappe is a JSD Candidate at New York University School of Law. Previously, he worked as a law clerk at the Mexican Supreme Court and was professor of legal theory at Escuela Libre de Derecho.
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POSTS BY Jorge Gaxiola Lappe

02 June 2025

Jorge Gaxiola Lappe

A Tarnished Institution from Its Start

June 1st was a historical day for Mexico. The Mexican people – or, more precisely, around 13% of the electorate – went to the ballots to democratically elect their judges for the first time. The newly elected 2681 public officials, which will be announced in the following weeks, will serve in the local and federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court, and solve all types of disputes. While MORENA promises that the amendment will grant Mexico a reinvigorated judicial branch, it is instead getting a newly elected judiciary whose legitimacy has been tarnished from its very start. Continue reading >>

06 September 2024

Jorge Gaxiola Lappe

Why Institutional Reputation Matters

Mexico is about to adopt a constitutional amendment to reform the judicial branch. While framed as an attempt to restore the legitimacy and independence of the judiciary, it is, in reality, aimed at capturing the judiciary. In this blogpost, I discuss a key strategy that enabled this judicial overhaul: the President’s persistent and systematic defamatory attacks on the judiciary. I argue that to facing the threat of institutional defamation, we must recognize the importance of the right to reputation. Continue reading >>