Mexico Supreme Court throws out lawmakers' extension of top justice's term

FILE PHOTO: Supreme Court judge Arturo Zaldivar Lelo de Larrea attends a meeting at Supreme Court building in Mexico City, Mexico, November 4, 2015. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido/File Photo

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The Mexican Supreme Court on Tuesday declared unconstitutional a bid by the country's ruling party to extend the period in office of the tribunal's chief justice, which President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had supported.

A decision by Congress in April to prolong by two years the term of Supreme Court President Arturo Zaldivar sparked consternation among critics of the government, who saw it as a potential test run for extending Lopez Obrador's mandate beyond 2024.