This Environmentalist Lawyer Has Become Mexico’s First Woman Supreme Court President
Norma Piña has been sworn in as the first woman chief justice of Mexico’s Supreme Court on Jan. 2.
Norma Piña has been sworn in as the first woman chief justice of Mexico’s Supreme Court on Monday, Jan. 2.
Piña has been a justice at the Supreme Court since 2015 and has advocated for women’s reproductive rights and LGBTQ rights.
She has pushed for Mexico’s transition to renewable energy and defended the right to a healthy environment.
Piña, who has frequently voted against Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s policies, is considered one of his main opponents.
However, she has promised to maintain the independence of the judicial branch.
During her acceptance speech, she also promised to create a more fair and equal society, without violence against women, according to Spanish news outlet El Pais.
Piña was elected by six to five vote and will hold a four-year term. She defeated Yasmin Esquivel, who had been nominated by Mexico’s president Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Esquivel had been embroiled in allegations of thesis plagiarism during the voting process.
López Obrador called the accusations an attempt to cast doubt on the government.
“We will work, we will strive every day for a more just, more equal society, without violence against women – that is a longing – of which there is no doubt,” Piña said.
