Mexico

• The Constitution of 1917, the highest law
• Federal codes and statutes, and the codes of each of the states (including state civil codes)
• Treaties, including human-rights treaties, which now have constitutional importance
• Case law, especially from the Supreme Court, which can become binding in certain cases (jurisprudencia)

• The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation at the top
• Federal circuit courts and district courts
• State courts, which hear most everyday civil and criminal cases

A law degree (licenciatura), then a professional licence (cédula profesional). There is no single national bar exam. Judicial reforms in recent years have changed how some judges are chosen, so check the current position.

• Amparo is a distinctive remedy for protecting rights against government acts and, in some cases, court decisions.
• Each state has its own civil and criminal codes, so rules can differ from state to state.
• The Constitution lists social rights, such as labour and land rights, as well as individual ones.
• Mexico has a long civil-law tradition shaped by Spanish and French law.

Spain, Argentina, Brazil, France, Italy

The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Mexico as: Civil law. It names the systems in order of importance.

The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.

Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria.

• Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (Mexico)

Sources last reviewed: October 2026.