Assange's wife says UK extradition ruling 'astounding'

STORY: U.S. prosecutors are seeking to put Assange, 52, on trial on 18 counts, all bar one under the Espionage Act, over WikiLeaks' high-profile release of confidential U.S. military records and diplomatic cables.

Assange's lawyers in February sought permission to challenge Britain's approval of his extradition, part of a more than 13-year legal battle in English courts.

In their ruling, two senior judges said he had a real prospect of successfully appealing against extradition on a number of grounds.

The court said in its written ruling that Assange arguably would not be entitled to rely on the First Amendment right to free speech as a non-U.S. national and that, while none of the existing charges carried the death penalty, he could later be charged with a capital offense such as treason, meaning it would be unlawful to extradite him.