WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Families of some victims of two fatal Boeing 737 MAX plane crashes that killed 346 people asked a U.S. appeals court on Thursday to reverse a decision by a judge to approve a request by the Justice Department to dismiss a criminal case against the planemaker.

Judge Reed O'Connor, of U.S. District Court in Fort Worth, Texas, on November 6 approved the Justice Department's request, but harshly criticized the government's decision and said he disagreed that dismissing the case was in the public interest. The families asked the 5th Circuit Court to reverse his decision, saying the Justice Department violated their rights as crime victims when it negotiated a deal with Boeing ( BA ).