Cooking in the Dark: The Rise and Fall of Ghost Kitchens

Posted on Categories FDA, Regulation

Online food delivery is a growing industry worth over $240 billion, serving consumers who appreciate eating their favorite meals from the comfort of their home. Ghost kitchens are one way restaurant entrepreneurs are taking advantage of this growing market. Ghost kitchens operate as takeout and delivery only venues, needing only a fraction of traditional restaurant space to operate. Today there are over 7,000 businesses in the ghost kitchen industry in the United States. This model was embraced by celebrities like Mr. Beast and large restaurant chains, including Chili’s, and was particularly popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. While these kitchens operate in the dark, they are still responsible for complying with food quality and safety rules like traditional restaurants. However, this has proven to be difficult and resulted in closures – and even lawsuits. Ghost kitchens require greater investigation and monitoring from governmental agencies to better meet consumer concerns.
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The Rise of Compounding: Why Section 503A Should Be Strengthened

Posted on Categories FDA

The popularity of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 drugs) such as Ozempic and Wegovy has transformed the market for weight-loss medications in the United States. Originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, these drugs are now widely prescribed for weight management. However, demand has created nationwide shortages, prompting compounding pharmacies to produce customized versions of GLP-1 medications intended to replicate FDA-approved medications. In practice, however, this has enabled the rapid expansion of compounded GLP-1 drugs that mimic highly popular brand-name medications. Evidence of contamination, dosing errors, and serious adverse events linked to these products suggests that the current regulatory framework does not sufficiently protect consumers. Given these risks, Section 503A should be strengthened to prohibit pharmacies from producing copies of commercially available GLP-1 drugs altogether, even during shortages.

President Donald Trump’s Call to Reclassify Medical Marijuana, What’s Changed?

Posted on Categories DEA, Department of Justice

Last December, President Donald Trump issued an executive order calling for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to expedite the reclassification of marijuana to a Schedule III drug. Currently, marijuana is listed as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (CSA), making it federally illegal to sell, distribute, or possess. This classificationsignificantly limits the ability to undertake scientific and medical research on marijuana and the extent to which medical professionals and individuals can make informed decisions concerning its use. Regardless of this prohibition, 40 states and the District of Columbia have state or locally sanctioned medical marijuana, and a majority of the American public (64%) believes that marijuana should be legalized. The impediment of necessary research, the public support for legalizing the substance, and the potential economic and medical benefits have led President Trump’s call to reclassify it. Reclassification will likely support the marijuana industry while simultaneously benefiting American health care.
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Restoring Consumer Control: The FTC’s Push to Regulate Negative Option Practices

Posted on Categories FTC

Kendall Henry Associate Editor Loyola University Chicago School of Law, JD 2027   Every time a consumer enrolls in a 30-day free trial for a streaming service and fails to cancel before the trial ends, the streaming service automatically charges a fee for the subscription. This automatic renewal practice is an example of a “negative …
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Navigating Oil: Corporate Strategy in a Volatile Market

Posted on Categories International Affairs, National Security, Regulation

On February 28, 2026, a conflict involving the United States and Iran began when coordinated airstrikes targeting Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure took place. In response, the Iranian military launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes targeting U.S. bases and U.S. allied countries Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Alongside these military strikes, the Iranian government has taken de facto control over the crucial Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway in the Middle East that borders Iran. The strait connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and is a key export pathway for oil and gas to many countries across the world. It is estimated that 20% of the world’s oil supply flows through the strait. With exports through the strait now significantly disrupted, global energy markets have begun to experience a sharp supply shock. Corporations, particularly in the energy, transportation, and manufacturing sectors, are now facing heightened regulatory scrutiny and compliance risk as they attempt to navigate significant cost pressures and operational uncertainty.

Returning to the Roots of College Sports: Pathways Forward

Posted on Categories Antitrust, Department of Justice

College sports once featured iconic teams of students that would return year after year to compete for glory in tournaments like March Madness and the College Football Playoff. Now, teams are sparsely populated with returning players. Prior to the start of the 2025 March Madness tournament, more than half of the players that competed in the tournament played for a different D1 team before the start of the season. Following the advent of NIL (“Name, Image, and Likeness”), and recent rule changes surrounding the transfer portal, college sports are more like a professional, free-agent market. Team loyalty and the once classic “underdog” Cinderella stories are a thing of the past.
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Click, Share, Mislead: Why Social Media Needs Regulation

Posted on Categories Journal of Regulatory Compliance

Social media platforms have transformed the way people communicate, access news, and share information. Social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X allow information to spread instantly to millions of users around the world. While this connectivity has countless benefits, it has also made it easier for misinformation and false narratives to circulate widely, often faster than accurate information. The spread of misleading content can influence public opinion, undermine trust in government institutions, and affect important events such as elections and public health responses. As a result, social media platforms should be fairly and reasonably regulated to reduce misinformation while still protecting freedom of expression.
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Come On Down: Dynamic Pricing Is the New Price Tag

Posted on Categories Artificial Intelligence

Retail pricing is undergoing a significant technological shift. Instead of relying on fixed price tags, many businesses now use dynamic pricing systems that adjust prices automatically based on real-time data. These systems analyze factors such as demand, competitor pricing, inventory levels, and consumer behavior to determine what price to display at a given moment. Dynamic pricing is already prevalent in many industries, such as live entertainment, airlines, hotels, and ride-sharing platforms, all of which routinely adjust prices in response to changing demand. Increasingly, retailers and e-commerce platforms are adopting similar strategies in everyday consumer markets. As this practice expands, regulators are evaluating how existing consumer protection, antitrust, and data privacy laws apply to algorithm-driven pricing models.
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The Court Struck Down the Tariffs but the Compliance Nightmare Got Worse

Posted on Categories Litigation, Regulation

For companies that spent the past year paying billions in tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), February 20, 2026 looked like a victory. The Supreme Court ruled that the IEEPA does not authorize the President to impose tariffs. But, if compliances officer, general counsel, and importers should not celebrate yet. The ruling did not end the tariff saga; it merely opened a new and more chaotic chapter.
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The Government’s Block of Anthropic and the Future of AI Procurement

Posted on Categories Artificial Intelligence, Contracts, Privacy & Security, Regulation

Governments around the world have increasingly turned to artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool for defense and national security. In the United States, that shift has come with its share of conflict. In early 2026, a dispute between the federal government and AI company Anthropic came to a head after the Trump administration moved to bar the Pentagon from using Anthropic’s Claude software. At its core, the standoff exposed a tension that is only going to grow more common: tech companies that want to set limits on how their products are used, versus a government that sees those limits as a threat to its own capabilities. The Department of Defense had previously brought Claude into certain internal tools and workflows. But Anthropic’s restrictions on military use created friction with agencies that wanted broader access to the software. When those disagreements proved unresolvable, the administration granted agencies six months to stop using Anthropic products entirely, turning what had been a contract dispute into one of the more public clashes between Washington and a tech company in recent memory.
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