WASHINGTON, May 26 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Tuesday pushed back to October ‌21 the trial of former FBI ‌Director James Comey over a social media post of ​seashells that prosecutors allege was a threat to President Donald Trump, according to a court document.

The decision by U.S. District Judge Louise Wood Flanagan ‌came after ⁠Comey's lawyers said they expected to file "multiple motions on constitutional grounds" seeking ⁠to have the case thrown out before a trial. Those filings are due to be ​submitted in ​July.

The trial, which ​is scheduled to ‌take place in New Bern, North Carolina, had initially been set to begin in July.

Prosecutors have charged Comey with threatening harm to the president and transmitting a threat across state ‌lines. The case arises from ​a May 2025 social ​media post by ​Comey showing seashells arranged to ‌form the numbers "86 47." Trump ​is the ​47th U.S. president and "86" is a slang term originating in the restaurant industry ​that can ‌mean to run out of something or ​to "get rid of."

(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward, ​editing by Michelle Nichols )