Ripple’s ongoing lawsuit with the US SEC is moving through the courts, and some in the XRP community say “judgment day” is close. XRP pushed past $2 late last year, only to slip back under that mark recently. For most of 2024, it hovered near $0.50, a range many traders saw as a barrier. Now, with fresh legal hurdles, believers and skeptics are both bracing for what comes next. Related Reading: Analysis: Crypto Heats Up As $35 Billion Enters Market In Under A Month Legal Battle Takes A Detour According to court records, Judge Analisa Torres blocked a joint settlement on May 15, 2025. Ripple hoped to pay a reduced $50 million fine and lift a permanent injunction. Instead, the judge ruled that the motion had cited the wrong procedural rule—Rule 62.1 instead of Rule 60. Ripple and the SEC must refile under the correct rule. That move won’t overhaul the timeline, but it does mean more filings and a delay that could last months. Very soon, nothing will be holding XRP back. No lawsuit. No distractions. At that point, it all comes down to the utility we’ve been talking about for years. Judgment day is coming—and we’ll see if we were right. Will we see explosive growth? Or a slow and steady climb?… — All Things XRP (@XRP_investing) May 15, 2025 Community Pushes ‘Judgment Day’ Narrative Based on reports from XRP forums and social feeds, many holders believe “price suppression” has held the token down. They point to the long stay around $0.50 and insist outside forces prevented higher gains. After XRP rallied above $2 at year‑end, talk of suppression faded—until it fell back under $2. Now critics warn that believers are setting themselves up for disappointment, while optimistic voices say judgment day will reveal the truth and clear the way for a big rally. Utility Claims Face Competition Commentators often highlight XRP’s role in cross‑border payments through RippleNet. They predict it could capture a slice of a tokenization market projected to exceed $18 trillion by 2033. But rivals are gearing up. SWIFT is rolling out faster transaction corridors, and platforms like Ethereum, Solana and Algorand are also targeting tokenized assets. So far, real‑world XRP volume remains small compared with its total supply, and widespread adoption has yet to materialize. Bold Price Targets Draw Doubt Some analysts toss around targets of $50, $100 or even $1,000 for XRP once the legal cloud clears. To reach $100, the market cap would need to expand more than 40‑times from today’s levels. A $1,000 price tag would require an even more massive inflow of new money. Few market watchers see that happening without a major institutional push or a breakthrough in cross‑border payment adoption. Related Reading: Bitcoin Outshines All In 2025, Official Report From Russian Central Bank Says Final Ruling Could Set The Stage Ripple and the SEC both say they want this case wrapped up quickly. Yet appeals courts move at their own pace. Even the most optimistic projections point to a final decision in late 2025 or early 2026. When “judgment day” arrives, it could either validate those bullish forecasts or underscore how tough it is for XRP to shake off legal overhangs. Until then, traders will likely watch every court update more closely than utility metrics. For now, it’s still a waiting game—one that could reshape XRP’s next big move. Featured image from Gemini Imagen, chart from TradingView