Cryptocurrency security expert Michael Llewellyn has filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Justice over what he described as its “flawed and unfair” approach to developing blockchain code.

Llewellyn, a lecturer at the University of Dallas and a board member of the Texas Blockchain Council, foot The lawsuit against the Department of Justice is in response to the government's legal crackdown on cryptocurrency mixers like Tornado Cash and their developers.

Federal prosecutors have sought to classify protocols like Tornado Cash as money transfer services. Lawsuits and penalties have accused blockchain developers of intentionally writing code that criminals could misuse in the future.

The cryptocurrency industry has strongly opposed this interpretation of the law, likening the Justice Department's argument to blaming car manufacturers for road accidents.

A federal judge previously ruled that code authors cannot be held liable for creating decentralized protocols, and Tornado Cash was. It was later removed From the Treasury Department's sanctions list. However, Tornado Cash developers and individuals associated with other cryptocurrency mixers remain on the Department of Justice's prosecution lists.

This lawsuit is about ensuring that innovators can create without fear and that laws are not abused to hinder progress. For too long, the Biden administration has used lack of clarity to scare builders away from new technology or force them to leave the United States. This must end.

Michael Llewellyn on X

Llewellyn's complaint makes three main arguments: the Justice Department lacks legal authority to prosecute software creators for allegedly running "money transfer businesses," the campaign violates the First Amendment, and the department's due process violations.

The lawsuit is backed by cryptocurrency advocacy group CoinCenter, and represents the industry's latest effort to protect the right to code.