Recognized across the sector for initiating records inquiries with the U.S. government regarding cryptocurrency frameworks, Coinbase launched legal action against Oregon state representatives.
The cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has initiated a plea for judicial intervention within the U.S. state of Oregon. This action stems from its assertions that state officials covertly reversed their stance on digital assets.
Coinbase’s legal challenge named Oregon Governor Tina Kotek in her official capacity in proceedings that commenced Thursday within the Marion County Circuit Court. The filing reportedly disputed the state government’s approach to information requests concerning digital asset enforcement measures.
As per Coinbase’s assertion, state officials had generally not regarded digital assets as regulated securities prior to April 2025. Nevertheless, Oregon’s Attorney General’s office subsequently initiated litigation against Coinbase, contending that the exchange had made available over thirty tokens as unregistered securities.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, Attorney General Dan Rayfield, and other state officials allegedly reversed their stance on digital assets behind closed doors, without public hearings or agency rulemaking and comment,” Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal stated in a Friday X post. “They are now withholding the public records that would reveal this. To rectify this injustice, we are pursuing legal action against them.
The grievance contended Oregon officials had infringed upon state public record statutes subsequent to Coinbase’s requests, which reportedly encompassed over 80,000 emails that might necessitate more than a year for production. It remains uncertain whether this public records litigation could influence the state’s future crypto directives.
Federal Crypto Push Coincides with State-Level Lawsuit
Coinbase has gained a strong reputation in the crypto industry for asking the U.S. government for information through Freedom of Information Act requests. These requests mostly deal with cryptocurrency rules from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The exchange also asked the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for similar details. These requests aim to find out if the U.S. government told certain companies dealing with digital money to lose their banking services.
Coinbase’s related advocacy group, Stand With Crypto, is also asking U.S. lawmakers to pass three new crypto laws soon. These laws, about central bank digital currencies, payment stablecoins, and market rules, might greatly change how Coinbase does business in the U.S.
