A Murdered Federal Judge and Intimidation of the Judiciary in Mexico

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A federal judge, Uriel Villegas Ortiz, and his wife, Verónica Barajas, were murdered in their Colima city home on Tuesday, June 16, 2020, in front of their two daughters, aged 3 and 7, and a domestic employee. The judge handled drug trafficking and other organized crime cases, and before moving to Colima from Jalisco in February, Villegas presided over cases involving the sons of two of Mexico’s most notorious drug lords. In 2018, he heard a case against Rubén Oseguera González, son of Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera. Villegas also denied an application for a suspension order against the extradition to the United States filed by Ismael Zambada Imperial, the son of Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo.” Commentators dissected the situation and offered recommendations.

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