Judge blocks attempts to commandeer mail ballots, warning of looming authoritarian drift

Last Thursday a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled against Republican attempts to seize the Postal Board of Governors, stating that neither the Constitution nor statutory law grants such authority and that states lack time to meet the demands. The author draws parallels between this episode and past personalist regimes, recalling the devastation witnessed in Kampala after Idi Amin’s fall and the systematic control exercised by Vladimir Putin in Russia.

He contends that Donald Trump is employing similar strategies, from installing loyalists in the Justice Department to targeting journalists and civil-society groups. Specific examples include the replacement of a Virginia prosecutor with Lindsey Halligan and repeated attempts to re-indict New York Attorney General Leticia James. The analysis warns that if unchecked, these moves could shape the 2028 presidential race, urging voters to verify registration and resist the erosion of democratic safeguards.