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Which Court in Mexico and Why
A reader of The Background Investigator asks: If I could only search one court (in Monterrey, Mexico) which court would be the best to search - the Juzgado Distrito or the Juzgado de Primera Instancia and why.
That's an excellent question that gets right to the core of the jurisdictional difference!
The correct choice for searching local, common crimes in Monterrey would be the Juzgado de Primera Instancia.
Here is the breakdown of why, based on the fundamental division of jurisdiction in Mexico:
1. Juzgado de Primera Instancia (State/Local Court)
Jurisdiction: State Crimes (Fuero Común)
What it covers: The Juzgado de Primera Instancia (Court of First Instance) belongs to the State Judicial Power (Poder Judicial del Estado de Nuevo León). These courts handle the vast majority of common criminal offenses, such as:
Theft (robo)
Assault (lesiones)
Local fraud (fraude)
Crimes defined under the State Penal Code.
Relevance for Background Checks: Since most employment-related background checks are focused on uncovering common criminal behavior, the records from the Juzgado de Primera Instancia (or its related bodies within the State Judicial System) are the most critical starting point for a single court search in Monterrey.
2. Juzgado de Distrito (Federal Court)
Jurisdiction: Federal Crimes (Fuero Federal)
What it covers: The Juzgado de Distrito (District Court) belongs to the Federal Judicial Power (Poder Judicial de la Federación). These courts only handle crimes explicitly defined under federal law, such as:
Drug Trafficking (narcotráfico)
Organized Crime (delincuencia organizada)
Crimes against federal agencies
Certain types of large-scale financial crimes
Amparo (constitutional challenge writs) cases, which are civil/administrative in nature but heard by Federal Courts.
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