US judge rejects 737 MAX accord in which Boeing pleaded guilty

A federal court rejected a US criminal settlement with Boeing related to the 737 MAX crashes on Thursday, sharply criticizing the Justice Department’s criteria for selecting a monitor.

In a ruling that blocked Boeing’s guilty plea under the deferred prosecution agreement, US District Judge Reed O’Connor concluded the Department of Justice could take diversity into account when selecting the monitor tasked with overseeing Boeing’s safety efforts, putting the public interest at risk.