NEW ORLEANS – A federal judge gave the green light Tuesday to a deal that allowed BP to plead guilty to manslaughter and other criminal charges stemming from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill in exchange for a $4 billion fine, probation and independent monitoring.

U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance’s decision during an emotional hearing in New Orleans was issued over the objections of victims of the disaster and relatives of some of the 11 workers who were killed on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.

The ruling and guilty plea to 14 criminal charges ends the criminal case against BP over the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history. It marks the first criminal conviction to result from the disaster.

Read More: Houston Chronicle