Obituary: Héctor Fix Fierro

Héctor Fix Fierro was born on 15 August 1961. With great sadness we learned of his recent passing on 28 May 2020.

Héctor Fix Fierro graduated with the highest honours from the National University of Mexico’s law school in 1987. He pursued advanced studies at the University of Bremen (Germany) and earned his Ph.D. in 1998.

Héctor Fix Fierro pioneered in the area of sociology of law. His work particularly focussed on the organization and operation of courts, a field in which he was Mexico’s leading expert. One week before Héctor Fix Fierro passed away, he participated in the book launch of his last publication, “El poder del Poder Judicial y la Modernización Jurídica en el México contemporáneo” (“The Power of Judicial Power and Legal Modernization in Contemporary Mexico”). He was also active in the field of constitutional law and made relevant contributions in the area of human rights.

Héctor Fix Fierro was a distinguished and dedicated mentor, teaching sociology of law at the National University of Mexico’s law school. He also taught multiple courses at many other academic institutions. Notably, he was a visiting professor at the University of Houston Law Center.

Héctor Fix Fierro was a passionate translator of legal works. One of his most important translations was Reinhold Zippelius' book, "General Theory of the State" (“Allgemeine Staatslehre”). This was published in Spanish as “Teoría General del Estado” (UNAM, Mexico, 1985).

Between 2006 and 2014 Héctor Fix Fierro was Director of the Institute of Legal Research of the National University of Mexico. As such, he was the leading figure in organizing the IACL’s eighth World Congress of Constitutional Law that took place in Mexico City in 2010. Moreover, he was a First Vice-President of the IACL.

Beyond his qualities as a scholar, Héctor Fix Fierro was a considerate, generous and thoughtful person. He will be dearly missed by his friends, colleagues and students all over the world.

Written by José Ma. Serna de la Garza