Mexico's highest court and final constitutional authority. It sits in plenary with eleven justices and in two chambers, deciding amparo directo en revisión, constitutional controversies between organs of state, and actions of unconstitutionality that can void a statute for everyone.
How the court is constituted
- Tier
- constitutional
- Court type
- Supreme and constitutional court
- Jurisdiction
- National
- Seat
- Mexico City
- Established
- 1825
- Composition
- Nine justices from 2025 (reduced from eleven), sitting in plenary and in two chambers. The presidency rotates.
- Appointment
- Following the 2024 judicial reform, justices are elected by direct popular vote from candidate lists proposed by the three branches, serving twelve-year terms. Previously the Senate chose from a presidential shortlist.
- Caseload
- Several thousand matters a year, dominated by amparo en revisión.
- Languages
- Spanish
Where an appeal goes next
Final domestically. Individual complaints may then go to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Filing at this court
- Electronic filing
- Portal de Servicios en Línea with e.firma
- Amparo directo deadline
- 15 working days from notification
Decisions worth knowing
- Acción de inconstitucionalidad 2/20102010
Upheld Mexico City's same-sex marriage law and required other states to recognise those marriages.
- Amparo en revisión 1388/20152016
Established that absolute bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional, creating binding jurisprudence.
- Acción de inconstitucionalidad 148/20172021
Struck down the criminalisation of abortion in Coahuila, holding absolute criminal bans unconstitutional.
Found something out of date on Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation?
Corrections are reviewed against the primary source before anything changes.