Guide to Foreign and International Legal Citations - New York ...

Under the Supreme Court are the Collegiate Circuit Courts, the Unitary Circuit Courts,
and the District Courts. The Collegiate Circuit Courts are composed of three Magistrates; the
Unitary Circuit Courts of one Magistrate. The District Courts are the courts of first instance in
the federal judiciary. The Council of the Federal Judicature appoints all federal judges to sixyear
terms.
The Federal Electoral Court decides disputes arising out of federal elections. It is divided
into a High Division and several Regional Divisions. Seven Electoral Magistrates, who serve
ten-year terms, compose the High Division; three Electoral Magistrates, who serve eight-year
terms, compose each of the Regional Divisions. Electoral Magistrates are appointed by the
Senate, which selects them based upon the recommendations of the Supreme Court of Justice.
The Council of the Federal Judicature is composed of seven members: the President of
the Supreme Court of Justice, who serves as president of the Council; one Magistrate from the
Collegiate Circuit Courts; one Magistrate from the Unitary Circuit Courts; one judge from the
District Courts; two members appointed by the Senate; and one member appointed by the
President. The Council administers federal court resources, and appoints Magistrates to the
Collegiate and Unitary Circuit Courts and Judges to the District Courts. It also supervises the
quality and improvement of judicial work through a program of academic and practical
specialization.
Each state is served by two levels of government: state and municipal. At the state level,
authority is divided between the legislative, executive and judicial branches. The state
legislatures are composed of only one chamber, the Chamber of Representatives of the Congress
of the State of (Cámara de Diputados del Congreso del Estado de , sometimes Cámara de Diputados or Congreso del Estado, depending on the context).
There are State Superior Courts as well as trial-level civil, criminal, commercial, and other
specialized courts. Municipal government deals primarily with local administrative issues.
Internet Resources:
Congress of the Union
http://www.congreso.gob.mx
Chamber of Representatives
http://www.camaradediputados.gob.mx
Senate
http://www.senado.gob.mx
II. CITATION GUIDE
Presidency of the Republic
http://www.presidencia.gob.mx
Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation
http://www.scjn.gob.mx
Council of the Federal Judicature
http://www.cjf.gob.mx
There is no comprehensive uniform national or local citation manual in Mexico or its states.
Nevertheless, there are certain official rules and some generally accepted citation practices.
The most important of such official rules at the Federal level are contained in articles 271 and
272 of the Federal Code of Civil Procedure (Código Federal de Procedimientos Civiles), and
articles 15 and 17 of the Federal Code of Criminal Procedure (Código Federal de
Procedimientos Penales), though these rules are relaxed in administrative or day-to-day usage:
a) Prohibition of the use of abbreviations in judicial records, orders, resolutions,
briefs, bills, and all kinds of court proceedings; [However, the use of shorter
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