Former Lawyer For 'El Chapo' Guzmán Elected as Criminal Court Judge in Chihuahua

Despite being flagged for months as a "high-risk" candidate, Silvia Delgado, a former attorney for Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, has won a seat as a criminal court judge in Mexico's judicial elections.

While the results have not been officially certified, preliminary tallies released Tuesday show Delgado received just over 23,000 votes, making her the second-highest vote-getter in the state of Chihuahua. She secured the position by finishing among the top five candidates in an election that saw historically low voter turnout — 11% locally and 13% nationally.

The election was part of a sweeping judicial reform introduced last year under President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The reform mandates that judges across all levels, including Supreme Court justices, be selected by popular vote rather than through executive nomination and Senate confirmation.

Delgado was one of thousands of candidates nationwide who ran for judicial positions. But her candidacy drew heightened scrutiny from civil society organizations, political opponents and media outlets, who questioned her fitness for the role and warned her election could further undermine Mexico's already fragile rule of law.

Miguel Alfonso Meza, an anti-corruption activist with the civil rights group Defensorxs, said earlier this year that Delgado's background presents an obvious conflict of interest.

"You can't one day be defending the Sinaloa cartel and the next be in a position to judge people who belong to the same cartel," Meza told The Washington Post in May.

Concerns have also surfaced over what critics say is an inadequate vetting process for judicial candidates. Requirements included just three years of legal experience, a clean criminal record, and letters of recommendation from peers or neighbors.

As reported by Reuters, Meza has called on Delgado's opponents to challenge her election in court, arguing she fails to meet the constitutional requirement that candidates be of "good reputation."

Delgado was not the only candidate labeled high-risk by Defensorxs. The group submitted complaints to Mexico's National Electoral Institute (INE) against roughly 20 winning candidates, including Delgado.

"What INE is doing is essentially ignoring the good reputation clause in the Constitution," Meza told Reuters. INE has said it will investigate the complaints and could disqualify unfit candidates, though no disqualifications have been made to date.

During the campaign, Delgado was seen handing out flyers on the streets of Ciudad Juárez, according to El País. Despite having no prior judicial experience and facing widespread criticism, she has defended her qualifications publicly.

"All my clients are equally important," Delgado wrote in a Facebook post. "This shows that I have the character and strength needed to be a judge."

Responding to the controversy, she added: "They speak from ignorance. Of course, having been El Chapo's lawyer should not affect me. My colleagues know I am a person of impeccable conduct."

Election officials in Chihuahua are expected to issue certificates of majority in the coming days, which would formalize Delgado's win. Barring any successful legal challenges, she is set to be sworn in as a criminal court judge in the weeks ahead.