GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemala’s Congress has begun reshaping the country’s highest court, selecting a new magistrate and an alternate in decisions that could have grave consequences for the battle against corruption and impunity. In an initial vote Tuesday, current magistrate Dina Ochoa received a majority of votes (101 of 160 lawmakers), putting her on a path to a likely second consecutive term. She was originally former President Jimmy Morales’ pick to the current court. Ochoa has been criticized for decisions to protect a fugitive judge accused of corruption and to eject the United Nations anti-corruption mission, known as CICIG. Selecting the new members of the Constitutional Court has roiled Guatemalan politics since last year.
