Former FBI Director James Comey has made his first court appearance in a criminal case alleging he made a threat against former President Donald Trump, launching what could become a closely watched test of how federal prosecutors prove criminal intent in politically charged speech cases.

The prosecution, styled US v. James Comey, Jr., is drawing unusual scrutiny not only because of Comey’s public profile, but because it lands squarely at the fault line between criminal threats law and First Amendment protections.