A British judge ruled Monday that Julian Assange should not be extradited to the United States to face criminal charges brought by the Justice Department.

The ruling was handed down by Judge Vanessa Baraitser of the Westminster Magistrates’ Court following months of hearings and after a morning appearance by Assange at the Old Bailey courthouse in London, which he was brought to from the maximum-security Belmarsh prison, where he has been held for well over a year.