Worldwide: Consumer Protection

California's Senate is currently considering a bill that would create mandatory heavy metal testing and disclosure rules for protein supplement brands. SB 1033, modeled after the recent AB 899 baby food law, responds to a perception that protein powders, shakes, and bars contain elevated levels of heavy metals.

The FDA has released new draft guidance establishing a comprehensive risk-based framework for evaluating container closure systems used in pharmaceutical packaging, marking a significant update from its 1999 guidance. This framework addresses five critical factors including material safety, environmental protection, performance standards, manufacturing impacts, and storage considerations, with particular emphasis on leachables assessment and quality control programs across different drug delivery routes.

As of July 1, 2026, California is the first state in the United States to mandate that large restaurant chains disclose major food allergens directly on their menus.

State attorneys general across the nation are taking decisive action on multiple fronts, from challenging federal overreach on driver data access and healthcare regulations to prosecuting consumer fraud and environmental violations. This comprehensive weekly roundup reveals how state AGs are wielding their enforcement powers to protect residents' privacy, ensure business compliance, and defend state interests against federal encroachment.

California's Senate is currently considering a bill that would create mandatory heavy metal testing and disclosure rules for protein supplement brands. SB 1033, modeled after the recent AB 899 baby food law, responds to a perception that protein powders, shakes, and bars contain elevated levels of heavy metals.

A New Jersey federal court recently ruled that text messages qualify as "telephone calls" under TCPA Section 227(c)(5), but the decision's reasoning directly contradicts arguments...

The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts’ 2025 Dodd-Frank Report examines how the post-2008 financial regulatory landscape has performed under renewed stresses, such as bank failures and crypto-asset collapses.

The award recognizes distinguished attorneys and public-interest advocates whose careers have advanced consumer protection, challenged corporate misconduct, and improved public safety.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has announced it will stop publishing consumer complaint narratives and data visualizations in its public database, marking a significant shift in how the agency shares complaint information. The Bureau cites concerns about unverified allegations, potential for misleading information, and unnecessary reputational harm to companies as key reasons for this policy change.

A federal lawsuit challenges Texas A&M University System's classroom-content policy, alleging it unconstitutionally restricts faculty instruction on race, gender, and sexual orientation. The case follows the Eleventh Circuit's decision on Florida's Stop WOKE Act and raises critical questions about viewpoint discrimination, academic freedom, and the boundaries between legitimate curricular oversight and unconstitutional restrictions on classroom speech.

As multi-billion dollar NIL markets, revenue sharing, media rights, and private investment reshape college athletics economics, university leaders face the challenge of balancing competitive ambitions with fiduciary responsibility and institutional mission. This comprehensive framework examines how institutions can evaluate strategic alternatives, assess valuation and governance risks, and structure private capital transactions that preserve autonomy while maximizing economic value.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act introduces Section 25F of the Internal Revenue Code, establishing a federal tax credit of up to $1,700 annually for individual taxpayers who contribute to eligible Scholarship Granting Organizations beginning in 2027. States must voluntarily elect to participate and identify qualifying SGOs, which face federal requirements for scholarship distributions, student eligibility verification, accounting practices, audits and reporting obligations. As the U.S. Department of the Treas