Carrying photos of their loved ones into court Wednesday, family members of victims killed in Boeing 737 Max crashes urged a judge to reject a deal that would spare the company from criminal prosecution.

Some of the relatives of the 346 victims killed in crashes off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019 saw the hearing as their final chance to demand a public trial.

That's because U.S. District Judge Reed OConnor is weighing whether to approve the federal governments motion to dismiss its criminal case against Boeing. The judge said Wednesday after hearing from the relatives and attorneys for both the Justice Department and Boeing that he would issue a decision at a later date.

RELATED STORY | Justice Department reaches deal to allow Boeing

See Full Page