Mexico federal court employees strike over judicial changes requiring that judges stand for election

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Employees at Mexico’s federal courts went on strike on Monday over measures that would make all judges stand for election as part of a judicial overhaul proposed by outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Unionized court employees put chains and locks on the gates at several courthouses, saying the measures would deal a significant blow to checks and balances in Mexico and also threaten their working conditions, benefits and salaries. The strike comes amid a long-running rift between the populist leader and the judiciary, spurring on democratic concerns.

Striking employees also objected to changes that would eliminate the system by which judges and court employees accumulate experience and move up to higher positions.

Organizers said thousands of federal court workers joined the strike, which they plan to continue until López Obrador drops his proposals.