Mexican Supreme Court Chief Justice Candidate Accused of Plagiarism

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Ildefonso Ortiz and Brandon Darby

Controversy is erupting in Mexico about a Supreme Court chief justice candidate who allegedly plagiarized her college thesis.

Judge Yasmin Esquivel Mossa stands accused of plagiarism and is a strong supporter of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO). Pundits see Esquivel Mossa’s candidacy as a bid to take control of the Supreme Court to consolidate political power.

The firestorm began last week when Guillermo Sheridan published an expose in Latinus showing how the title and even the index of the thesis are word-for-word copies. Esquivel Mossa’s thesis was filed in 1987, yet the original work appears to be written by Edgar Ulises Baez Gutierrez in 1986.

Esquivel Mossa denied any wrongdoing, however, Mexico’s National Autonomous University (UNAM) initially revealed consistent similarities between the documents and is in the process of conducting an academic review.

Most recently, Esquivel Mossa claimed that she began her thesis in 1985 and her work was plagiarized. She filed a criminal complaint as a result. The female judge also claimed that she was the target of a coordinated attack on her character amid the judicial selection process.

Mexico’s president claimed the controversy was fueled by political opponents due to fears of a Supreme Court takeover. Lopez Obrador also said it was obvious there had been plagiarism, but UNAM needs to determine the victim.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.     

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