Category:Regulation
Cooking in the Dark: The Rise and Fall of Ghost Kitchens
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.
Navigating Oil: Corporate Strategy in a Volatile Market
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.
The Court Struck Down the Tariffs but the Compliance Nightmare Got Worse
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.
The Government’s Block of Anthropic and the Future of AI Procurement
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.
Betting on Compliance: Regulatory Challenges for Online Sports Betting Apps
The explosive growth of online sports betting in the United States over the past decade has created a complex regulatory frontier for digital wagering platforms. After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on sports gambling in Murphy v. NCAA, states have individually determined how and whether to legalize mobile sports wagering. This state-by-state patchwork, combined with the rise of innovative betting products, has generated compliance challenges in age verification, geolocation enforcement, consumer protection, anti-money laundering obligations, and advertising—issues that extend far beyond traditional in-person gambling regulation.
The Real Problem with Affordable Housing in America is Not Large Institutional Investors
“To preserve the supply of single-family homes for American families and increase the paths to homeownership,” President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 20th, 2026, preventing “large institutional investors” from buying “single-family home[’s].” The definitions of “large institutional investor” and “single-family home” are to be determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, by February 19th. However, even with an expansive definition of what constitutes a “large institutional investor,” this executive order seems likely to fall short of its intended goal. Large institutional investors account for too small of a share of single-family homeowners in the United States for this executive order to have any significant impact on housing affordability. Instead, to support housing affordability President Trump’s administration should focus on loosening credit standards, incentivizing home builders, and adopting economic policies to curb inflation, which in turn will lead to mortgage rate reductions.
The Need for Stronger Regulation of the Taxation of Churches
Carolyn Nsimpasi
Associate Editor
Loyola University Chicago School of Law, JD 2026
In the United States, churches and religious organizations qualify for exemptions from federal income tax under IRS Section 501(c)(3) and are generally eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions. While the intention behind this exemption is to protect religious freedom and support nonprofit missions, the lack of robust regulatory frameworks has opened the door to potential misuse. As religious institutions grow in both size and financial complexity, the public benefits they provide do not always receive the same scrutiny as their financial practices. Consequently, it is time for this exemption to be either eliminated entirely or significantly modified following an intensive evaluation of its regulation.
Sports Gambling in the Post-Murphy Landscape
Since the Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling in Murphy v. NCAA, which struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, the sports betting industry has expanded at an extraordinary rate. Sports wagering is now legal in 38 states and Washington, D.C. In 2024, licensed sportsbooks handled nearly $150 billion in bets and generated more than $14.2 billion in operator revenue. State and local governments collected roughly $2.9 billion in taxes, and the federal government received over $375 million through the federal excise tax. This expansion, however, has also produced a complicated and evolving set of regulatory and compliance challenges.
Is Texas the Most Business Friendly State in America?
With its low tax burden on businesses, no state income tax, a large and diverse economy, and a strong work force, Texas has hosted an exceptionally business friendly environment for decades. The state is home to over 50 Fortune 500 companies (the most in the United States), has the 8th largest economy in the world and the second largest in the United States, and has one of the fastest growing populations. In recent years, Texas has been making its case as the most business friendly environment in the United States.
On the Clock: Exploring the TikTok Sale
The world of social media has rapidly evolved from a way to connect with friends to an integral component of global communication, commerce, and culture. Since 2010, social media platforms have consistently shaped daily life with individuals spending countless hours on their favorite platforms. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have amassed billions of users. With such influence comes heightened regulatory scrutiny over data privacy, national security, and corporate accountability. TikTok has drawn intense regulatory oversight due to its ownership by the Chinese company ByteDance, which has prompted fears of foreign influence and national security risks among U.S. regulators. The culmination of these concerns resulted in the passing of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA). Under the PAFACA, ByteDance is required to sell off TikTok’s U.S. operations. This compelled sale has sparked a debate over the balance between corporate autonomy, data governance, and national security. It has also raised broader questions about future industry-wide regulations, indicating that social media platforms may soon face heightened scrutiny and standardized requirements for data handling and corporate transparency.