Big Week for the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has historically been known seen as something of a political pawn here in Mexico (witness its rulings in the Lydia Cacho/Mario Marín case in 2007 for a recent example), but two decisions this week show both independence and wisdom: in the first, the Court ordered the release of 40 Chiapas residents who'd evidently been railroaded into prison after a massacre in 1997. The soon-to-be-released, who were serving 20 and 40-year sentences, were all indigenous. Second, the Court announced the formation of a commission tasked with the investigation into the ABC day-care that killed almost 50 toddlers in June, as well as the national day-care system.