In Mexico, nine newly elected Supreme Court justices received their certificates of victory following the country’s first-ever judicial elections in May. The incoming head of the Supreme Court is Hugo Aguilar Ortiz, a Mixtec Indigenous lawyer from Oaxaca, who becomes the first Indigenous person to hold Mexico’s highest judicial office. Ortiz spoke during the election certification ceremony.

Hugo Aguilar Ortiz: “The days when our words, our requests and even our mere presence were met with ridicule and discrimination in these very institutions are now behind us. Thank you for everything. The history of Mexico cannot be understood without considering the participation of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples at various moments of transformation. The electoral process we are now completing was no exception. I am confident that this is the beginning of the full inclusion of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples in the public life of our country.”

Mexico’s judicial election turned out just 13% of eligible voters. It came following hotly contested reforms last year. Judges aligned with the ruling Morena party dominated the election, including the makeup of the Supreme Court.