Every Friday, Law Decoded delivers analysis on the week’s critical stories in the realms of policy, regulation and law. 

Editor’s note

The largest city in the United States and the world’s financial capital for most of the past century, New York City is also used to playing a starring role in the worlds of art, music, literature and film. What with all the attention, the Big Apple sometimes gets a big head. But this week, it’s also earned the spotlight as the stage for a marathon of fintech law dramas.

Given New York City’s status, it’s not uncommon for Americans to be more familiar with the name of its mayor than their own governor. New York’s courts steer the rules for the national and even the global economy. It’s also a coveted market, including for crypto firms that also operate under the if-I-can-make-it-here-I-can-make-it-anywhere philosophy.

Today, we’re taking a look at a botched appointment to New York’s most important court, a case with major implications for future ICOs coming to an end in the same court, and new opportunities for crypto firms looking to set up shop in the city that never sleeps.