# Louise Flanagan **Louise Flanagan** is a U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina, presiding over the second federal prosecution of [[James Comey]] — the April 2026 "86 47" seashell-post threat case (docket 4:26-cr-00016, New Bern). On **Sept 25, 2026** she granted Comey's unopposed motion to move his arraignment from Sept 30 to **January 2027**, writing that "the ends of justice served by granting the requested continuance" outweighed the interest in a speedy trial; a trial date will be set after arraignment. It was the third postponement, and it takes any Comey trial off the pre-election calendar. His July motions to dismiss remain pending. See [[Comey Indictment]]. ## Sources - [WITN — Judge grants Comey delay to 2027 (Sept 25, 2026)](https://www.witn.com/2026/09/25/judge-grants-james-comey-delay-arraignment-trial-2027-86-47-seashell-case/) - [Carolina Journal — Judge agrees to delay Comey arraignment to January](https://www.carolinajournal.com/judges-agrees-to-delay-comey-arraignment-to-january/)