New subnational data inspires hope amidst Mexico’s rule of law challenges

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                            The 2022-2023 WJP Mexico States Index Is Here!

                        

Mexico faces steep rule of law challenges, but new data also reveals some bright spots.

At this week’s launch of the fifth annual WJP Mexico States Rule of Law Index Mexican policymakers and WJP leaders dug into state-level trends that can sometimes be obscured by national survey data.

Cohosted by WJP and Mexico’s National Bar Association of Corporate Lawyers, the event was attended by policymakers, civil society leaders, journalists, businesspeople, and researchers.

Among the trends that the new data illuminates is the fact that six states have made significant progress since WJP published the first Mexico States Index in 2018, said WJP Chief Research Officer Alejandro Ponce.

“These Mexican states demonstrate to others that it is possible to strengthen the rule of law – even in complex and challenging contexts.”

Alejandro Ponce
WJP Chief Research Officer

Learn More about Rule of Law in Mexico

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Rule of Law in the News

EU finds Poland guilty in rule-of-law dispute (Politico)
This week, the European Union’s Court of Justice ruled that Poland violated EU laws by changing how judges are appointed, threatening judicial independence. Former Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło, now a member of the European Parliament called the ruling, “a mockery of European law.”

Poland ranks 73 out of 140 countries and jurisdictions on whether the judiciary can hold the government accountable in the 2022 WJP Rule of Law Index and 41 out of 43 high-income countries on this factor.

Senegal, one of Africa’s bastions of stability, faces its gravest threat of unrest in decades (CNBC)
Senegal is experiencing widespread unrest after a populist 2024 presidential candidate was convicted on charges of “corrupting the youth.” Ousmane Sonko could be barred from running in next year’s election due to the conviction.

Senegal ranks 48 out of 140 countries and jurisdictions on whether the freedom of assembly is guaranteed in the 2022 WJP Rule of Law Index and 5 out of 34 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

How a Fringe Legal Theory Became a Threat to Democracy (The New Yorker)
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to decide a case later this month that will test the so-called “independent state legislature theory” some lawyers used to try and change 2020 and 2022 election results. If the Court accepts the legal theory, partisan state legislatures could have sole discretion over the rules for voting and elections, without oversight from state courts.

The United States ranks 38 out of 140 countries and jurisdictions on whether transition of power is subject to the law in the 2022 WJP Rule of Law Index and 36 out of 43 high-income countries on this factor.

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