UK judge to rule on US extradition for WikiLeaks’ Assange

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will find out on Monday whether he could be extradited from the UK to the US to face espionage charges over the release of secret US military documents.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser is due to announce her decision at 10 a.m. Monday at the Old Bailey Courthouse in London. If he grants the request, Britain’s Home Secretary Priti Patel will make the final decision.

Whichever side loses is expected to appeal, which could lead to years more legal wrangling.

However, there’s a possibility that outside forces may come into play that could instantly end the decade-long saga.

Stella Moris, Assange’s partner and the mother of his two sons, has appealed to U.S. President Donald Trump via Twitter to grant a pardon to Assange before he leaves office on Jan. 20.

And even if Trump doesn’t, there’s speculation that his successor, Joe Biden, may take a more lenient approach to Assange’s extradition process.

U.S. prosecutors indicted the 49-year-old Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse that carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.