Recent developments in the federal cases against former FBI Director James Comey center on an April 2026 North Carolina indictment alleging threats to President Trump via a social media post of seashells arranged as “86 47,” alongside a prior Virginia indictment on false statements and obstruction that a district judge dismissed in late 2025 due to an improper prosecutor appointment. The Department of Justice is appealing the Virginia dismissals to the Fourth Circuit, where oral arguments occurred in September 2026 and the panel signaled skepticism about revival. In the North Carolina matter, defense motions to dismiss remain pending before Judge Louise Wood Flanagan, with arraignment continued to January 2027 and trial rescheduled for 2027; prosecutors have not opposed the delays. These procedural timelines and unresolved motions underpin trader consensus that charges are unlikely to be dropped by December 31.