Emoji (and emoticons before them) transform how we understand written language. Now, these symbols are impacting court rulings around the world. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this, however, is that emoji are often omitted from court transcripts.

Still, it’s rare for cases to turn on the interpretations of emoji. “They show up as evidence, the courts have to acknowledge their existence, but often they’re immaterial,” Goldman says. “That’s why many judges decide to say ‘emoji omitted’ because they don’t think it’s relevant to the case at all.”

This seems likely to change in the future.