Court Says CFTC Can’t Block Kalshi Election Bets The D.C. Circuit just handed Kalshi a lifeline and the CFTC a public black eye. In a terse order released two weeks after oral argument, the three-judge panel refused to stay the lower court’s injunction that bars the agency from halting Kalshi’s election contracts. Markets now have…
Court Slams Brakes on Texas Crypto Mining Dispute A Texas appeals court has handed Envy Blockchain and its partners a partial reprieve in their fight to keep mining equipment online. The decision matters because it shows how state courts—not federal regulators—are increasingly deciding what counts as a “good neighbor” in crypto mining, and those rulings…
Live updates: Bitcoin and gold jump but rejected at key level as Treasury move pushes yields lower Bitcoin and gold moved higher in the latest session as U.S. Treasury market dynamics pulled yields lower, offering a supportive backdrop for assets that tend to benefit when interest rates ease. The advance, however, ran into resistance. Both…
COURT HANDS CFTC A RARE PROCEDURAL DEFEAT The Seventh Circuit has just told the CFTC to slow down. In a terse, unpublished order, the court denied the agency’s emergency petition for a writ of mandamus that would have forced Kraft and Mondelēz to turn over massive volumes of documents in the long-running “spoofing” probe. The…
JUDGE BLOWS UP BILZERIAN’S 23-YEAR BLOCKADE ON SEC ENFORCEMENT A federal judge just shattered a two-decade legal shield that had frozen the SEC’s ability to collect nearly $80 million in penalties from notorious corporate raider Paul Bilzerian. The ruling, issued Tuesday in Washington, D.C., lifts a 2001 injunction that had blocked the Commission from pursuing…
COURT SLAPS SEC ON WRISTS, EXPANDS DEFINITION OF COMMODITY Supreme Court’s latest decision narrows the SEC’s reach over digital assets, handing DeFi platforms and token issuers a major legal win. The ruling clarifies that many tokens and decentralized protocols fall outside traditional securities law, shifting the regulatory battlefield to the CFTC and state attorneys general….
Judges Hand CFTC A Win Over Family Trust in Derivatives Dispute A federal appeals court ruled that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission may pursue enforcement actions against private trusts and individuals who trade in commodity derivatives, even when those trades occur outside traditional exchange venues. The decision strengthens the CFTC’s reach into decentralized or off-exchange…
COURT RIPS SEC OVER “UNBRIDLED” TOKEN RULE Fifth Circuit slams SEC’s enforcement-by-definition approach in blistering April 17 ruling. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit just handed the crypto industry its clearest win yet against the SEC’s “everything is a security” campaign. In a consolidated appeal, the panel threw out the agency’s sweeping…
Bitcoin holds $64,000 and Solana leads gains amid 7% Korean chip stock slide Bitcoin held around $64,000 as the broader crypto market traded with a modestly firmer tone, while Solana led gains among major tokens. Moves in digital assets came alongside weakness in South Korean equities, where chip-related stocks slid about 7%. The juxtaposition underscored…
Regal Wins: Commodities Court Keeps Crypto Out A New York appeals court just handed Regal Commodities a decisive victory over trader Tauber, ruling that digital assets are not “commodities” under the state’s commercial code. The decision slams the door on a lawsuit that tried to drag crypto into the same legal framework that governs wheat,…
CFTC Mandamus Bid Sends Shockwaves Through Enforcement Playbook The Seventh Circuit just told the CFTC it cannot force a district judge’s hand in the long-running Kraft manipulation case, handing traders and exchanges a rare check on the agency’s courtroom tactics. The ruling matters because it signals that federal judges—not regulators—will decide how discovery and sanctions…
Panel Orders Crypto Cases To Illinois A federal panel has ordered three crypto-related lawsuits to be consolidated in Chicago, giving the Northern District of Illinois the first crack at shaping national rules for how digital assets are treated under the law. The decision matters because it creates a single courtroom where judges will decide whether…
Fifth Circuit Slams Brakes on SEC’s Crypto Crackdown The Fifth Circuit just handed crypto a rare legal win, slapping down the SEC’s attempt to treat most digital assets as securities under a sweeping new definition. In a sweeping opinion, the court ruled that the agency overstepped its authority by trying to regulate digital assets as…
CFTC Suffers Major Loss in Ninth Circuit Monex Appeal The Ninth Circuit just handed the CFTC a stinging defeat, ruling that Monex’s leveraged metals contracts are not subject to the agency’s anti-fraud powers under the CEA. The decision slashes the CFTC’s reach over retail precious-metals trading and signals that the agency’s expansive view of its…
Minnesota Says xAI’s Grok Created “Marketplace for Digital Sexual Violence” Minnesota officials have alleged that xAI’s chatbot, Grok, has enabled what they describe as a “marketplace for digital sexual violence,” raising fresh questions about how generative AI tools are moderated and what responsibilities their operators have when those tools are used to produce or distribute…
Court Hands CFTC Fresh Power Over Crypto Trading Platforms The D.C. Circuit just told the CFTC it can police off-exchange crypto derivatives even when no U.S. customer touches them, expanding Washington’s reach over digital-asset markets that until now enjoyed a quiet offshore lane. The ruling arrives as lawmakers debate stablecoin bills and the SEC circles…
CFTC WINS ON APPEAL, TRADER FACES LIFETIME BAR The Ninth Circuit has upheld a CFTC victory against trader James Devlin Crombie, ruling that he must pay $1.6 million in restitution and civil penalties while facing a lifetime trading ban. The decision cements the agency’s power to punish fraudulent futures schemes and tightens the regulatory net…
Court Slaps IRS on Asset Seizures in Crypto Account Case A federal judge in Washington has just told the IRS it cannot simply freeze twenty-four cryptocurrency accounts without proving the owners are breaking the law. The ruling stops the government cold in its tracks and forces a reset in how tax agents hunt for unreported…
SEC WINS FIRST ROUND AGAINST BINANCE IN D.C. The Securities and Exchange Commission just secured a sweeping early victory in its landmark case against Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange. A federal judge in Washington allowed the SEC’s core claims to move forward, ruling that unregistered sales of BNB, BUSD, and staking services violated federal…
Delaware Court Hands Crypto Founders A Legal Win Delaware’s Superior Court just green-lit a fraud and breach-of-contract lawsuit brought by Diamond Fortress Technologies and its founder Charles Hatcher II, ruling that the defendants must face claims they allegedly misappropriated a blockchain-based identity verification system. The decision matters because it signals that Delaware judges are willing…
