Post by Abigayl Rodriguez

Living in Texas, I’ve always been aware of how closely the United States and Mexico are connected through culture, trade, and everyday life. But while researching transnational organized crime for my capstone project, I realized just how different our justice systems really are. Those differences aren’t just political, they’re built into the foundations of each legal system. From the civil law traditions that shaped Mexico’s inquisitorial model to the common law roots behind the U.S. adversarial system, each country’s legal foundation has influenced how trials work, how judges operate, and how reforms unfold. I also dive into the major shifts Mexico has undergone in recent years, including the move toward oral, adversarial trials and the current 2024 judicial reforms. And because cooperation across borders plays such an important role, I touch on initiatives like the Mérida Initiative and how the U.S. has previously supported Mexico’s transition. I go into all of this in much more depth in my full blog post: ➣ https://lnkd.in/gUWwfBGV _____________________________________________________________ #InternationalRelations #BorderIssues #USMexicoRelations #LegalSystems