In Latin America today, traditional coups are no longer the biggest threat to liberal democracy. More perilous are democratically elected leaders who, once in power, deliberately and gradually undermine basic guarantees, such as judicial autonomy, electoral integrity, independent press work and free expression.
On May 2, 2024, the Dialogue’s Rule of Law Program, the Stanford Law School’s Rule of Law Impact Lab, and the Mexican Bar Association released a report analyzing the constitutional reform proposals presented by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to the Mexican Congress in February 2024. The report concludes that the proposals directed at the federal judiciary constitute a direct threat to judicial independence.