Background on the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN)
The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) is Mexico’s highest judicial authority, responsible for interpreting the Constitution and ensuring that all laws comply with it. The current administration, led by former Minister Presidenta Norma Piña, has been diligent in managing its budget to maintain operational efficiency.
Budget Overview and Spending
As of June last year, the SCJN had exercised or committed 4,859.9 million pesos, equivalent to 92.8% of the budget for the current year. This leaves the newly formed tribunal with 7.2% of the remaining resources, totaling over 300 million pesos for operations.
The initially authorized budget was 5,208.6 million pesos, which increased to 5,234.9 million pesos after modifications. Of these, 4,859.9 million pesos have been spent or committed, leaving 375 million pesos available.
Spending Breakdown
- Personal Services: Accounting for the majority of expenditures at 4,470.4 million pesos, with 4,201.6 million pesos spent, leaving 268.8 million pesos still to be allocated.
- Materials and Supplies: Spending was 41.2 million pesos, with 15.6 million pesos remaining to be allocated.
- General Services: 613 million pesos were spent, leaving 84.9 million pesos available.
- Transfers, Allocations, Subsidies, and Other Assistance: 3 million pesos were committed, with a remaining balance of 3.8 million pesos.
- Investment: 1.1 million pesos were allocated, with 1.9 million pesos still to be spent.
SCJN’s Cost-Saving Initiatives
According to Minister Presidenta Norma Piña’s management report, the SCJN has successfully implemented cost-saving programs from January 2, 2023, through June of the same year.
“The annual institutional savings goals were met, in line with rationality, austerity, and budgetary discipline measures, which contributed to sustainable spending and timely attention to emergent needs or those previously identified but lacked budgetary allocation.”
By June 2025, the SCJN reported having achieved 36.2 million pesos of a targeted 41.6 million pesos in savings.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the SCJN’s current budget situation? The SCJN has spent or committed 92.8% of its current-year budget, leaving over 300 million pesos for the new tribunal’s operations.
- What are the major spending categories for the SCJN? Personal services, general services, and materials & supplies account for most of the SCJN’s expenditures.
- How has the SCJN managed its budget? Under Minister Presidenta Norma Piña’s leadership, the SCJN has consistently met its annual savings goals through rationality, austerity, and budgetary discipline.
