"We can't release them without protection": Edomex judges issue alert

In a forceful statement, two newly elected federal judges for the State of Mexico have urgently requested strengthened security measures for judicial personnel and expanded the number of courtrooms, citing the enormous caseload and the dangerous nature of the cases being heard, many of them linked to the Altiplano maximum-security prison.

The State of Mexico, home to the Altiplano maximum-security federal prison, has become one of the most complex and dangerous judicial circuits in the country. Given this situation, two new federal criminal judges, Carmen Ortega Gutiérrez and Alejandro Latorre Lozano, have issued a serious warning: it is essential and urgent to strengthen security for all judicial personnel and create more courts to cope with the overwhelming caseload.

"We can't let judges and staff go unprotected; we're all part of the same machine. If you put pressure on the justice system, you also put pressure on the country," warned Judge Carmen Ortega, summarizing the seriousness of the situation.

The arguments of the new judges, who received their certificates after the historic judicial election, are based on an undeniable reality. The Attorney General's Office (FGR) prosecutes the most high-profile cases against members of organized crime in the State of Mexico, precisely because of the presence of the Altiplano prison in Almoloya de Juárez.

This means that the courts in this circuit must handle highly complex and dangerous cases involving cartel leaders and high-profile criminals. Despite this, the judicial infrastructure is insufficient. Judge Ortega compared the situation with Mexico City, which has 16 criminal courts, while the State of Mexico, which faces a similar or greater problem, only has four. She considers it "urgent to create at least three more courts" to reduce the backlog.

> "Citizens' main complaint is the judicial backlog, which is not always due to a lack of professionalism, but rather to a lack of personnel." – Judge Alejandro Latorre Lozano.

The demand is not only for more material resources, but also for human protection. The judges emphasize that security must extend to all personnel within the justice system: secretaries, clerks, officers, and administrators. The pressure on the judicial system, they warn, is a direct pressure on the country's stability.

To date, there has been no direct, public response from the Federal Judiciary or the Judicial Council to this specific request. However, the elected judges' statement brings to the fore a fundamental debate about the conditions under which justice is administered in Mexico. Guaranteeing the physical safety of those who judge the most dangerous criminals is not a privilege, but an indispensable condition for maintaining the autonomy, independence, and impartiality of the judicial system—fundamental pillars of any rule of law. The ball is in the federal authorities' court to heed this call before the pressure on the system becomes unsustainable.