Will the judge toss the '86-47' seashells case against James Comey by Aug 15?
67% of users predicted YES — the community missed this one. 36 predictions cast.
A federal judge had not ruled on James Comey's motion to dismiss the "86-47 seashells" case by the Aug. 15 deadline, so the prosecution remained active rather than being tossed. The case stems from a 2025 Instagram post in which the former FBI director photographed seashells arranged to spell "86 47," a phrase prosecutors characterized as a coded threat against President Trump, since "86" is slang for "get rid of" and Trump is the 47th president. A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina indicted Comey in April 2026 on charges of threatening the president, with the case assigned to U.S. District Judge Louise Wood Flanagan.
Comey's attorneys filed motions to dismiss in late July, arguing the post was protected political speech rather than a "true threat" and alleging selective and vindictive prosecution. The Justice Department was not required to respond until Aug. 18, three days after the resolution deadline, so no ruling was procedurally possible by Aug. 15. Flanagan had already pushed the trial date to Oct. 21 to accommodate the briefing schedule.
Community sentiment leaned toward yes (67% of 36 votes), but the outcome resolved no: the case remained pending, unresolved either way, when the window closed.