Roman Storm, co‑founder of Tornado Cash, is seeking an acquittal of charges for operating an unlicensed money transmission business, with a court hearing set for December 18, 2025.
The acquittal pursuit challenges regulatory limits on software publication, sparking debate about developer liability and First Amendment rights, though no immediate cryptocurrency market impact has been observed.
Roman Storm, co‑founder of Tornado Cash, is seeking an acquittal on the charge of operating an unlicensed money transmission business. His argument emphasizes that open‑source, permissionless software publication should not face criminalization.
Storm's legal counsel has reinforced that the act of coding and distributing software is protected under the First Amendment. The case also references the Berman Amendment as part of its legal arguments.
No direct impact has been observed on Ethereum or related markets due to this legal motion. Protocol functions remain unaffected, maintaining their permissionless and immutable status.
Previously impacted tokens like ETH and USDC continue their normal operations. Tornado Cash runs primarily on Ethereum, but no major funding changes or liquidity shifts are reported.
Despite the motion, on‑chain data shows no significant changes in Tornado Cash user activity. Historical precedents highlight the complexity of such cases in relation to developer liability.
Insights suggest no immediate financial or regulatory disruptions are expected. Market reactions have been calm with no direct responses from significant crypto figures or regulatory bodies concerning Storm's latest move.
Roman Storm, Co‑founder, Tornado Cash – “Labeling software publication as a financial ‘business’ violates constitutional free speech protections, invoking both the First Amendment and the Berman Amendment, which shields the distribution of informational materials from sanctions enforcement.”