Supporters claim the modifications will increase judges’ accountability to the Mexican people, while others claim they will erode the nation’s system of checks and balances and bolster the Morena party’s hold on power.
Protesters have broken into the building where the voting was being held in response to the law, sparking protests and strikes.
The measure, which has the support of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, cleared the last significant obstacle in favor of the reform—the Senate vote gave it the two-thirds majority required for constitutional amendment.
Before the plan receives final approval, MPs’ concerns about its specifics will be discussed further, but the crucial vote took place on Wednesday morning.
President López Obrador, whose term expires on September 30, has won with its approval.
After a series of disagreements with Mexico’s Supreme Court, which during his six-year term had blocked some of his proposed changes in the energy and security sectors, the departing president had thrown his support behind the reform.
Justices of the Supreme Court will have to run for public office under the new arrangement.
