Sinaloa Congress postpones judicial election to 2028

The Sinaloa State Congress has postponed the election of judicial members until 2028, a shift from the previously scheduled election for the upcoming year. This decision, approved with 30 votes in favor and six against, involves reforms to transitional articles of Decree No. 86.

The modification to the Fourth Transitional Article stipulates that the Judicial Discipline Tribunal and the Judicial Administration Body will commence their functions upon the swearing-in of magistrates elected in the 2028 Sinaloa electoral process. Concurrently, the current Council of the Judiciary will be dissolved on the same date.

To ensure staggered terms within the Judicial Discipline Tribunal during the 2028 election, the reforms specify that, for this occasion only, magistrates will be elected for different terms: one for two years, another for five years, and a third for eight years, among other adjustments. These changes follow earlier reforms enacted on March 18, 2025, which amended the State Constitution to allow for the election of judges and magistrates by popular vote starting in 2027.