Jalisco says narcocorrido penalties remain after court ruling

Reporting and context

Jalisco’s government said penalties for public glorification of crime remain in force after Mexico’s Supreme Court invalidated one phrase in the state’s rules on narcocorridos and other content. According to El Financiero, the court struck the reference to glorifying “some type of vice” in Constitutional Challenge 48/2026 because the wording was ambiguous, but left intact provisions addressing public incitement to commit crimes and praise for criminal conduct.

The case was brought by Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission against Decree 30134/LXIV/26, approved by the Jalisco Congress on Jan. 28, 2026. The decree amended Article 142 of the state criminal code to provide six months to one year in prison and fines of 30 to 60 measurement units for advocating crime. The state government said the ruling does not prohibit musical genres or broadly restrict artistic expression.

El Financiero reported that a separate proposal by Gov. Pablo Lemus was not part of the constitutional challenge. That proposal would require municipalities to adopt regulations for music, videos and other material presented at public events when authorities determine that it incites violence or glorifies people who committed crimes. Jalisco officials said narcocorridos could still be subject to sanctions when specific content falls within the conduct defined by law, and that the ruling does not create a blanket authorization for such material. The original report is available at https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/estados/2026/09/29/gobierno-de-jalisco-se-la-canta-a-la-scjn-sanciones-a-narcocorridos-seguiran-en-el-estado