# Supreme Court Clears Path for $4.4B Silk Road Bitcoin Sale

*Author: William M. Peaster*
*Published: Oct 7, 2024*
*Source: https://www.bankless.com/de/silk-road-supreme-court*

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The U.S. Supreme Court has [decided not to intervene](https://protos.com/supreme-court-wont-stop-sale-of-69370-silk-road-bitcoins/) in the legal dispute surrounding 69,370 bitcoin seized from the infamous Silk Road marketplace, clearing the way for the sale of this old batch of BTC.

## What's the Scoop?
- The highest court in the U.S. declined to hear an appeal in the case of *Battle Born Investments, et al. v. United States*, effectively upholding a 2022 ruling from the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California.
- This ruling orders the U.S. government to handle the liquidation of the seized bitcoin, which was originally stolen from the Silk Road by an individual known as “Individual X.”
- With this decision, the government could soon auction off the bitcoin, currently valued at ~$4.4 billion.

## Bankless take:
The Supreme Court’s move could lead to one of the largest government sales of bitcoin in history. For comparison, when the German government [sold its seized bitcoin](https://www.bankless.com/germanygovt-sales) earlier this summer, its aggregate sales netted them 2.64 billion euros, or roughly $2.9 billion USD. However, it’s likely the U.S. Marshals will auction these Silk Road funds off-market, so there won’t necessarily be a direct impact on the BTC price. Still, even just the *narrative *of sell pressure may temporarily spook the crypto space, so the U.S. government’s approach here will be something to watch closely going forward.