Guadalajara -
Last week the high pay earned by many Mexican public school teachers made national headlines. The story still has not completely died out. On Mexican National Teachers' Day, the sweet racket carved out by their powerful unions is exposed.
Judicial salaries in this country, particularly those of the nation's highest tribunal, could soon join teachers' wages under the public loupe.
A study undertaken by a lower court judge in the Federal District (Mexico City) has disclosed that the ministers, as they are called, of Mexico's Supreme Judicial Court (SCJN) are the highest paid in Latin America. His findings have been the subject of Mexican press reports this week.
The president of the SCJN - the equivalent of the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court - earns 317,547 pesos a month. That's the equivalent of about $22,682 USD, or $272,184 a year.
In comparison, U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts earns $223,500 per year, while the eight associate justices of America's highest court make $213,900.
For both the Mexican judicial ministers and their U.S. counterparts, those of course are base salaries only, and do not include the extremely valuable perks that go with the jobs. The Center for Public Integrity says most U.S. Supreme Court justices are millionaires, some of them several times over.
The president of Mexico's 2014 pay is about $20,500 USD per month (compared with the $400,000 per year earned by the president of the United States), but that does not include extensive benefits beyond base salary.
On both courts, the robes are part of the comp package
The study's author could not resist pointing out that Mexico's highest judge earns 161 times more a month than a worker earning the minimum wage, which is an average of about 65.53 pesos a day, or 1,966 a month. How much is the latter in U.S. dollars? $152.40. Mexican minimum wage in 2014 will be $5 dollars - a day.
Mexico's chief judge (Juan Silva Meza) earns 10,439 pesos every 24 hours, seven days a week, 365 days a year - the equivalent of $745.64 USD daily.
In Latin America, the high court salaries which come closest to Mexico's are those of the Supreme Courts of Chile (about 39% less) and Brazil (about 46% less).
Compared with other Latin countries, Mexican judges are rolling in cash.
Dec. 5, 2013 - U.N. selects Mexico's Supreme Judicial Court for Defense of Human Rights Award
Key decisions of the Supreme Judicial Court reported by MGR:
2014
May 29 - Mexican high court: DNA results are but one element in resolving question of legal paternity
Feb. 27 - Mexican high court awards punitive damages in Acapulco hotel electrocution case
Jan. 16 - Mexican judges: warrantless cell phone tracking is legal
2013
Mexican Supreme Court rejects appeal of co-defendant in U.S. agent's 1985 murder case
Mexican Supreme Court overturns release of Guadalajara Cartel drug lord
Mexican Supreme Court establishes U.S. style property division rules in divorce cases
Mexican Supreme Court rejects HIV discrimination case
Mexican Supreme Court ruling expands abortion rights
Mexican Supreme Court orders Canadian Cynthia Vanier released, on narrow legal technicalities
Same sex marriage arrives at the U.S. Supreme Court - and at the Mexican Supreme Court
Mexican Supreme Court: anti-gay comments are hate speech, not free speech
Mexico's Supreme Court approves polygraph tests for federal prosecutors, with limitations
Mexico's Supreme Court orders Florence Cassez freed
2012
Mexico's Supreme Court takes another step towards nationwide recognition of gay marriage
Mexican Supreme Court hands landmark legal victory to woman almost killed by her boyfriend
Mexican Supreme Court strips military courts of criminal jurisdiction in offenses against civilians
Mexico's high court rejects lie detectors, drug tests, psych profiles for political candidates
Mexico's highest court upholds right of same-sex couples to marry, but only in some states
2011
Mexico's Supreme Judicial Court fails to strike down state anti-abortion laws
© MGR 2014. All rights reserved. This article may be cited or briefly quoted with proper attribution or a hyperlink, but not reproduced without permission.
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