To be sure, not everyone is buying the link between the Goldman case and regulatory reform. Joseph Mason, a finance professor at Louisiana State, dismisses the case as "a narrow enforcement action."

But others say the Goldman case means reform will soon lurch forward -- as long as the Democrats don't overreach.

"I already thought the chances of passage were high," said Elliott of Brookings. "This makes it even higher, unless the Democrats overplay their hand and unite the Republicans."

http://money.cnn.com/2010/04/16/news/economy/goldman.toobig.fortune/index.htm