The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on March 12 affirmed a federal D.C. court's dismissal of Venezuelan national Samark Jose Lopez Bello's suit against his designation as a narcotics trafficker under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Samark Jose Lopez Bello v. Andrea M. Gacki, D.C. Cir. # 21-01727).
Former Court of International Trade Judge Richard Goldberg of Lake Melissa, North Dakota, died July 18, according to the court. He was 95. Following a stint as assistant state's attorney for Cass County, North Dakota, Goldberg was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps, then worked as an attorney for the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, D.C., before returning to Fargo to run his family's grain business until it was sold to Anheuser-Busch in 1983. Goldberg was elected to the state Senate in North Dakota four times. During the Ronald Reagan administration he served as deputy undersecretary for international affairs and commodity programs in the Department of Agriculture, later becoming undersecretary. President George H.W. Bush appointed him to CIT, where he served for more than three decades. Survivors include his wife, Mary, son, John, and daughter, Julie.
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The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied Huawei’s challenge to the FCC ban of the Chinese telecom gear vendor's equipment from networks funded by the Universal Service Fund under its national security supply chain rules (see 1911220064). Huawei sought the review in December. “If we were convinced that the FCC is here acting as ‘a sort of junior-varsity’ State Department,” the court “would set the rule aside,” Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan said Friday for the three-judge panel. “But no such skullduggery is afoot. Assessing security risks to telecom networks falls in the FCC’s wheelhouse.” Huawei is “disappointed” by the ruling and is “assessing” its “options to respond,” a spokesperson emailed: The company continues “to believe the FCC acted without authority in changing” its USF rules. The FCC didn’t comment. Wiley’s Tom Johnson, former FCC general counsel, said he’s “proud to have represented” the U.S. “in this important case.” Matthew Berry, who was chief of staff to then-FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, also praised the ruling.