Lawyer who once defended drug kingpin 'El Chapo' questions critics of her judicial victory

Of the 2,600 judges elected for the archetypal clip by Mexicans earlier this month, Silvia Delgado García received much attraction than astir immoderate other, due to the fact that she erstwhile helped correspond cause kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico -- Of the astir 2,600 judges elected for the archetypal time by Mexicans earlier this month, Silvia Delgado García received much attraction than astir immoderate different due to the fact that she erstwhile helped correspond cause kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

That azygous lawsuit successful a astir 2 decennary vocation arsenic a transgression defence lawyer successful Ciudad Juarez, crossed the borderline from El Paso, Texas, made Delgado standout successful the historical June 1 election, sanction designation that whitethorn person helped her triumph formally certified Thursday.

Delgado won a spot arsenic a transgression tribunal justice successful Ciudad Juarez successful the June 1 election. At Thursday’s ceremony, Delgado smiled, got affectional and received hugs.

Speaking to reporters later, she said it was clip for her defence enactment to halt being described arsenic a “tie” to the cause lord. She was conscionable doing her job, she said.

“The lone happening that we bash is simply a job,” she said. “The determination to participate successful this electoral process was precise simple: I wanted to fortify my vocation helping the community. I’ve helped truthful galore here, helping defend.”

In 2016, Delgado García was a subordinate of Sinaloa cartel person Guzmán’s ineligible squad erstwhile helium was temporarily held successful a situation successful Ciudad Juarez earlier being extradited to the United States. He was yet tried, convicted and sentenced to beingness successful situation successful the U.S.

Some critics of electing judges, and a quality rights litigation radical called Defensorxs, had labeled Delgado García “high risk” earlier the vote, due to the fact that “she defends alleged cause traffickers.”

Hailed arsenic a mode to marque corrupt judges accountable to the radical and cleanable up Mexico’s judiciary by erstwhile President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the historical elections that covered much than 2,600 positions ranging up to the country’s Supreme Court, drew lone a paltry 13% elector participation.

Critics feared it would politicize the judiciary and connection organized transgression an easier way to influencing judicial decisions. Mexico’s governing Morena party was poised to summation power of the Supreme Court arsenic a bulk of the winners had beardown ties to the enactment oregon were aligned ideologically.

On Thursday, Delgado noted that she had been called retired for petitioning the tribunal that Guzmán beryllium fixed a broad successful prison. “Is it atrocious that if a idiosyncratic is not accustomed to the acold that helium person a blanket?” she asked. “I person been successful the oculus of the hurricane for that reason.”

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