Pending cases and paralysis in Mexico City courts

MEXICO CITY (apro) - Marissa is 32 years old and comes from Xalapa, Veracruz. She is coming to the family courts of the Mexico City Judicial Branch (PJCDMX) as a foreigner for a child support case she started three years ago.

Today, she left her son with his family in the coastal state. She abruptly complains about the lack of consideration from the workers and confesses to being exhausted from the uncomfortable bus rides, which, depending on the distance between Xalapa-Enríquez and the nation's capital, take approximately four and a half hours.

Wearing glasses and carrying a pink folder under her arm, she waits in line like other mothers who arrived at the family courts this Tuesday, the last day of work before the PJCDMX (Mexico City Attorney's Office) goes on vacation for two weeks after a strike that frozen all judicial proceedings for 41 days.

In line, there are other women with strollers or baby carriers, calming their little ones as best they can while they wait for the security guards to check them. Men are a minority here because they don't usually carry bags or packages that require inspection by PJCDMX security personnel.

“I regret (having started the process) and I think it would have been faster if I hadn't complied with the law… I'm here for a reason… I don't have any money,” Marissa says in a defeated voice.

The woman says she has to juggle money for the copies, travel from Veracruz, and also calculate vacation time for employees in both offices: Veracruz and Mexico City.

The workers' vacation period will begin on July 16, and they are expected to return to work by August 4. Inside the Niños Héroes 150 building in the Judicial City, located in the Doctores neighborhood, you can see a pile of files clumsily tied with worn rope.

On June 26, Rafael Guerra Álvarez, presiding judge of the PJCDMX (Mexico City Justice Commission), acknowledged that there is a lack of funding to implement the digital justice plan, the requirements of the New National Code, and the historical lag the institution has endured.

According to the local Judiciary's Statistical Report for this year, between 2024 and April 30, family courts received 5,940 new child support cases, 93 of which were received in the first few months of this year.

Ángel Lozano is 26 years old and an independent litigator. He went to the Judicial City to file initial lawsuits and is patiently waiting his turn outside the courthouse.

In an interview, he emphasized that the strike has affected the cases he handles. Although he estimated that there were procedures such as summonses that would take six months to complete, they are now almost a year old.

However, he expresses sympathy for his fellow professionals and employees of the Judiciary.

"The government must address the lack of staff, the income of workers, and the burden on the courts," he stated.

Lawyers quickly cross the courts, some showing empathy for the PJCDMX workers, others complaining about the lack of consideration for their fees and calling the strikers "impertinent."

The influx of people at the Judicial City is far from what happens at the Avenida Juárez building, which houses the family courts, where lines average 20 minutes just to enter the building.

Inside, there are also lines that stretch around corners and columns for service modules, elevator access, and officer checks.

The little ones play among themselves, dodging the sea of people, while the older ones keep watch from a safe distance and scold when necessary.

Babies rest in strollers or are carried in small slings. Men and women carry bundles of papers, dodging the little ones in the crowd. This is the last day of work before the two-week legal holiday.