XRP Army’s Grassroots Power Tipped Scales in SEC vs Ripple Battle, Deaton Reveals

The cavalry arrived—not with lawyers, but with hashtags.

How A Community Fought Back

Deaton's analysis shows retail investors organized relentlessly—flooding social media, funding legal support, and maintaining pressure that even regulators couldn't ignore. This wasn't just cheering from sidelines; it was coordinated advocacy that influenced courtroom dynamics.

Regulatory Irony At Its Finest

The SEC's massive enforcement apparatus got outmaneuvered by decentralized passion—proving once again that in crypto, community conviction often moves faster than bureaucratic enforcement. Because nothing terrifies traditional finance more than organized investors who actually read the documents.

This case sets precedent: regulatory overreach now faces not just corporate lawyers, but armies of pissed-off retail holders. The SEC might want to update its playbook—because the XRP Army just wrote a new chapter in decentralized legal defense.

Deaton Cites XRP Holder Input in Court Ruling

Attorney John E. Deaton has pointed to direct involvement from XRP holders as a factor in the SEC vs Ripple case. In a recent post, he stated, 

“No credible person can argue that the XRP Army didn’t make a difference in the Ripple case.” 

He referred to Judge Analisa Torres’s decision, which cited his amicus brief, XRP holder affidavits, and a prior oral argument in the LBRY case.

Deaton noted that while over 2,000 exhibits were submitted, the judge only referenced a small number, some of which included materials from XRP holders. He said that without these citations, the role of the community could have been debated, but added, “The proof is in the decision itself.”

No credible person can argue that the XRP Army didn’t make a difference in the Ripple case. If they do they’re either ignorant to the facts and truth or intentionally lying. We have conclusive evidence that we made a difference. There were over 2K exhibits filed in the case. In… https://t.co/WK2MfOb6wS

— John E Deaton (@JohnEDeaton1) September 3, 2025

Ripple Legal Team Acknowledges Community Efforts

Ripple’s Deputy General Counsel, Deborah McCrimmon, acknowledged the coordination behind the scenes, saying the case was influenced by a broad effort that included the XRP community. Deaton had mobilized more than 75,000 XRP holders to submit statements and affidavits in support of Ripple’s legal position.

Alongside legal efforts, the XRP community maintained public focus on the case, organizing campaigns and petitions aimed at regulators. The long-running lawsuit saw its conclusion MOVE closer after both sides agreed to a $50 million settlement, with final approval recently confirmed by the Second Circuit.

Meanwhile, XRP’s price traded at $2.85, with a 3% gain in the last 24 hours and a 5% drop over the past week. Some in the community have raised concerns about slow growth in on-chain activity and total value locked (TVL). One user wrote, 

“OK but now we need the big guns to lift the price up apparently.”

However, projects like Doppler and Flare aim to increase XRP’s real-world use. The focus now shifts to whether utility follows legal clarity.