Teaching law

By Leticia Bonifaz

The judicial reform that is still underway, other recent constitutional reforms, plus the imminent reconstruction of the world order will force law schools and faculties not only to modify some curricula, but also teachers to rethink the contents of their courses.

It is not the first time that a legislative reform (major or minor) forces this to happen. When I was a student at the Law School of the UNAM, administrative law changed as a result of a new Organic Law of the Federal Public Administration promoted by Alejandro Carrillo Castro during the government of José López Portillo. I was also affected by important changes in tax law due to the VAT reform.

My fellow specialists in Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure were touched by the impact of the adversarial criminal system in this century. Also in this century, starting in 2011, the new paradigm in Human Rights was discussed and not only one more subject was added, but also, in a cross-cutting manner, content was changed in different subjects. Gradual changes can be considered normal.

What is so different about the current changes? It could be thought that the greatest impact will be on Constitutional Law due to the changes in the Judicial Branch, the structure of the Court, the new oversight body for judges and the so-called constitutional supremacy, but also in this area and in the theory of the State, the division of powers and the system of checks and balances will have to be critically reviewed, which will become non-existent with the de facto disappearance of the possibility of promoting unconstitutionality actions and constitutional controversies.