A British judge approved WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's extradition to the United States to face trial, sending the ultimate decision to the United Kingdom's home secretary, Priti Patel, AP reports.

Why it matters: Assange still has legal options, but the approval is a blow to his decade-long fight to avoid trial over U.S. charges of violating the Espionage Act and hacking government computers.

• He faces a sentence of up to 175 years in prison.

The big picture: The U.K.'s Supreme Court last month denied Assange permission to appeal a decision to extradite him to the U.S.

• His lawyers have four weeks to make submissions to Patel and can also seek an appeal to the High Court.