The Senate ultimately approved the reform proposed by outgoing President Obrador on Wednesday, with 86 votes in favor and 41 against. Mexico is now the first country to have its judiciary comprised of all judges.
Demonstrators entered the upper house chambers and waved Mexican flags, yelling "traitors" and chanting "the judiciary will not fall." Politicians were compelled to relocate to a former Senate building, as reported by The Times.
In the last few weeks, the reform plan has incited diplomatic tensions, mass demonstrations, and caution from investors. Opponents have included law students and court employees.
A door to the Senate chamber was breached using pipes and chains. Once inside, the protestors were joined by a number of opposition senators.
Alejandro Navarrete, 30, a judicial worker, was among the group of demonstrators. He told the paper that working in the courts has given him first-hand knowledge of "the danger the reform represents."
"They have decided to sell out the nation, and sell out for political capital they were offered, we felt obligated to enter the Senate," Navarrete said. "Our intention is not violent, we didn't intend to hurt them but we intend to make it clear that the Mexican people won't allow them to lead us into a dictatorship."
Obrador has contended that Mexico's current system is advantageous to the political and economic oligarchy, and he has characterized the judiciary as "corrupt," "nepotistic," and "rotten."
The Senate will now proceed to address the concerns raised by politicians prior to granting final sanction to the proposed reform.
In Mexico, it is not uncommon for powerful drug traffickers to employ bribery and intimidation to influence officials. Norma Pina, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, cautioned that elected judges were more susceptible to pressure from criminals.
