Sheinbaum hails 'historic' court ruling on ABC daycare fire, signaling 'new era' for judiciary

President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico has lauded a "historic" decision by the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) that prevents the statute of limitations from applying to crimes associated with the tragic 2009 ABC daycare fire. She emphasized that this ruling opens a path toward justice for the victims and their families.

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We are going to ask the prosecutor so that she can publicly provide more information about the implications of this Court ruling, which in effect ruled that the crime does not expire, which was a request from the parents of the ABC daycare.

Sheinbaum announced she would request the Attorney General to publicly detail the legal ramifications of the court's resolution. The fire, which occurred in Hermosillo, Sonora, resulted in the deaths of 49 children and injured over a hundred others. The ruling came after years of advocacy by the victims' families.

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I don't think the previous Court would have ruled as the Court ruled yesterday. I believe this speaks to the sensitivity of ministers who were elected by the people, which is a different vision.

The President characterized the decision as indicative of a "new stage" for Mexico's judiciary. She contrasted the current Supreme Court, whose justices she believes were elected by the people and operate with greater independence, with previous courts that she suggested were beholden to specific individuals or powerful interest groups. Sheinbaum believes this independence allows the court to be more sensitive to the demands of victims.

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They do not answer to anyone in particular, they do not owe their stay in the Court to a person. Because that's how it was before. They owed someone their presence there. And besides, they responded to interest groups in most cases.