Matter Labs co-founder proposes 'Ethereum Supreme Court' for on-chain disputes

1 year ago

Matter Labs co-founder and CEO Alex Gluchowski has projected an Ethereum tribunal system resembling a hierarchical tribunal strategy akin to the existent world.

In a Sept. 2 station connected X (Twitter), Gluchowski floated the thought for an “Ethereum Supreme Court” — which would enactment akin to the United States Supreme Court — serving arsenic a last halt for parties to quality astute declaration issues alternatively than needing to instrumentality matters to a accepted lawyer oregon court.

“The astir important relation of specified a strategy volition beryllium to support protocols against governmental inference from the outside. It volition service arsenic a large deterrence mechanism, and volition elevate the relation of Ethereum arsenic a almighty web state,” said Gluchowski.

Smart declaration implementation risks stay the biggest unsolved occupation of Defi. L2s are arsenic affected.

Let maine transportation an idea: L1 Fork arsenic the Court of Final Appeal.

First, wherefore existing solutions don't work:

1) Time-locked upgrades are large for scheduled changes, but… pic.twitter.com/EcaogkZBH9

— Alex G. ∎ (@gluk64) September 2, 2023

According to Gluchowski’s concept, disputes and exigency upgrades would beryllium handled by a hierarchical strategy of on-chain courts. The last stop, however, would beryllium an Ethereum layer-1 brushed fork arsenic the “Court of Final Appeal.”

Gluchowski said that successful this system, each protocol would person its ain governance with mean and exigency upgrade mechanisms, and would besides designate a peculiar declaration which tin trigger an appeal.

When determination is an exigency upgrade to a protocol, determination would beryllium an entreaty period, during which immoderate idiosyncratic tin taxable a situation to the higher court. However, they’ll person to enactment up a pre-defined bail deposit.

Each tribunal specifies the higher tribunal to entreaty to, with the Ethereum Supreme Court serving arsenic the last destination for challengers, Gluchowski said.

Let's chat. The main thought of the post: nary human-driven tribunal should beryllium capable to accidental the past word. The last entreaty indispensable ever beryllium an L1 fork.

— Alex G. ∎ (@gluk64) September 2, 2023

An illustration tribunal heirachy would spot protocols similar Aave and Uniswap would contention matters successful a tribunal specified arsenic CourtUnchained oregon JusticeDAO. After those courts scope a decision, a enactment tin entreaty to the Ethereum Supreme Court.

However, determination would request to beryllium a beardown societal statement for the on-chain tribunal strategy to work, Gluchowski acknowledged.

He added that it would beryllium costly truthful that lone “truly extraordinary” cases volition beryllium brought earlier it.

“[It volition request to be] worthy of the attraction of the full Layer-0 (the societal consensus) of Ethereum. Think of a bug successful @Uniswap, a large L2, a Defi protocol with a systemic risk, etc.”

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Gluchowski noted determination were respective existing solutions to specified disputes already, but argued that they aren’t effective. 

For example, enabling time-locked features connected astute contracts isn’t suitable successful exigency situations and introducing a information assembly tin mitigate the problem, but won’t lick it, portion carrying its ain risks.

“A information assembly could lone frost the declaration temporarily, requiring a token governance support for an exigency upgrade. But present a malicious bulk of undercollaterized stakers could execute an evil take-over upgrade and bargain each the assets,” helium explained.

Gluchowski said helium and the squad astatine zkSync — an Ethereum furniture 2 scaling solution created by Matter Labs — volition happily money probe into the proposal.

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