Supreme Court Ruling Unleashes Potential $175B Liquidity Injection

A recent Supreme Court ruling has sent shockwaves through the financial markets, striking down President Donald Trump's tariff program as illegal. The decision, which was handed down on February 20, has significant implications for the global economy and could potentially unleash a massive liquidity injection into the market.

According to estimates from the Penn-Wharton Budget Model, the invalidated tariff program collected at least $133.5 billion through December 14, 2025, with total receipts reaching approximately $179 billion by the ruling date. The refund question now sits in legal limbo, with the Court declining to address how refunds should work and instead punting the issue back to the Court of International Trade.

The news has sparked hopes that the potential $175 billion in refunds could find its way into the crypto market, particularly Bitcoin. As reported by CoinWarz, Bitcoin miners are currently facing a margin crunch that has historically preceded strong returns within 90 days. The network difficulty has jumped, while the hashrate has shown signs of softening, putting pressure on miner margins.

While market analysts caution that this is not a magic buy signal for investors, the structural setup matters deeply because it has the potential to flip miner behavior from a desperate need to sell in order to survive into a scenario where they sell less of their accumulated holdings. This subtle shift in behavior can effectively turn what is normally a steady, predictable source of incoming market supply into a significantly lighter headwind for Bitcoin's price.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin's Lightning Network has surpassed $1 billion in monthly volume, according to data from River Financial. The milestone reflects growing adoption despite flat price action, with the network processing an estimated $1.17 billion across 5.22 million transactions in November 2025.

In other news, XRP has seen a surge in sentiment, hitting a five-week high in bullish commentary, while chatter around Bitcoin and Ethereum cooled. According to a CoinShares report, XRP is the best-performing crypto token this year, attracting around $150 million in fresh capital, while Bitcoin and Ethereum have registered cumulative outflows of around $1.5 billion.

However, not all crypto projects are faring well. NilChain, a privacy-focused blockchain built with the Cosmos SDK by Nillion, is winding down operations on Cosmos as part of broader shifts across the interoperability-focused ecosystem. The team announced that the network will halt operations on March 23, urging holders of the NIL token to migrate their assets to Ethereum before the shutdown.

As the crypto market continues to evolve, the Supreme Court's ruling has added a new layer of complexity to the mix. With potential liquidity injection on the horizon, market participants are eagerly watching to see how the situation unfolds. Will the invalidated tariffs spark a new wave of investment in Bitcoin and crypto, or will the market remain stagnant? Only time will tell.

Sources:

• Supreme Court nukes Trump tariffs — up to $175B in refunds could hit Bitcoin market next
• Bitcoin miners face a margin crunch that historically precedes strong returns within 90 days
• Bitcoin’s Lightning Network Surpasses $1 Billion in Monthly Volume As Adoption Grows
• XRP sentiment hits a 5-week high as money rotates away from Bitcoin and Ethereum
• Hack VC-Backed Nillion to Shut Down Its Chain on Cosmos, Shift Focus to Ethereum