This is not something you see every day: the Supreme Court has set a precedent for mentioning Bitcoin in a ruling

On June 21, the Supreme Court issued its decision in the Wisconsin Central Ltd. case. v. United States is a case that examines whether stock options can be taxed in the same way as money. The US Supreme Court mentions cryptocurrencies to formulate its decision.

According to Ballotpedia, subsidiaries of the Canadian National Railway Company lost their cases in both the district court and later in the court of appeal. Both courts ruled that the options should be taxed under US law.

However, the Supreme Court's ruling on Wednesday confirmed that the shares are not “cash consideration” and that the case should be remanded. Justice Stephen Breyer, 79, wrote a dissenting opinion along with Justices Ginsburg, Sotomayar and Kagan. According to them, “the form and types of money have changed over time.”

This is a significant argument coming from a conservative Supreme Court, and setting the precedent for the first mention of Bitcoin in a US court ruling.

Breyer writes:

“Further, the form and types of money change over time. Cowry shells were once used as a medium of exchange, but are no longer used... our currency was originally pegged to gold and bullion, but that changed in 1934. Perhaps one day an employer will pay its employees in Bitcoin or other currencies.”

Such a statement raises the question - what are the consequences of this?

Although the court's opinion in this case does not directly address cryptocurrencies, the reference to them signals that part of the Supreme Court is sympathetic to the cryptocurrency movement and understands that they are a form of money or commodity. It’s too early to talk about this, but perhaps someday the Supreme Court will consider an issue entirely dedicated to Bitcoin and money.

According to https://www.coindesk.com