What? Attorney General Gabriel García Luna, who took office in May succeeding Consuelo Porras, pledged July 1 to unwind what he called the "repressive and vengeful" administration of his predecessor — who was sanctioned by the U.S. and other governments for stifling anti-corruption cases and driving justice officials into exile. García Luna's office is coordinating with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which has scheduled an August 4 hearing on political-persecution claims from the Porras era.

So what? A genuine anti-corruption reset in a Central American justice sector — long a source of friction for U.S. law-enforcement liaison and cooperation on transnational crime — should on balance improve the reliability of the counterpart institutions overseas liaison networks depend on for vetting and information-sharing. The signal that would undercut that: a backlash from Porras loyalists stalling the transition.

Sources: AP News, Washington Times