Tagged: Maj. Nidal Hasan

UPDATE 12/4 at 5:45pm: Army Col. Tara Osborn has been appointed to replace Col. Gregory Gross as judge in the military trial of Maj. Nidal Hasan. He's charged with in the shooting rampage that left 13 people dead and dozens wounded at Fort Hood in November 2009. It's not clear when hearings will resume.

ORIGINAL STORY: A military appeals court has removed the judge in the trial of the suspect in the 2009 shooting at Fort Hood. 

Attorneys for the Army psychiatrist accused in the Fort Hood shooting have filed an appeal with the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

Maj. Nidal Hasan has grown a beard in his time behind bars awaiting trial for the 2009 shooting—an act his lawyers say is an expression of his Muslim faith. But the facial hair violates Army regulations.

Hasan has be held in contempt of court several times for refusing to shave. In September, a judge ordered Hasan to shave or be forcibly shaved. Hasan's counsel appealed that decision but it was upheld last month. Now, they're appealing again.

Today is the third anniversary of a shooting rampage that killed 13 people and wounded dozens at the Fort Hood Army post in Killeen. Survivors and family members today filed a lawsuit against the federal government.

Lawyers for the victims say the Army ignored warning signs that Major Nidal Hasan was embracing militant Islamist views and violating military regulations in the months before the attack. If officials hadn't, they say, they could have prevented the shooting. Attorney Reed Rubinstein says victims want the attack reclassified as terrorism, which could qualify them for additional benefits. 

A military appeals court says Major Nidal Hasan can be forcibly shaved.

The judge in his court martial held Hasan in contempt six times for appearing in court with a beard, which violates Army regulations.

Today, the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals said Hasan did not prove the beard is an expression of religious belief.

His lawyers have indicated they will appeal today's ruling.

Hasan is on trial for killing 13 people and wounding dozens more in a shooting rampage at Fort Hood in 2009.

What looked like another increasingly routine hearing of Maj. Nidal Hasan – the accused gunman behind the 2009 shooting spree at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas – now appears to be less so, as Hasan’s lawyers claim he offered to enter a guilty plea.

Hasan’s trial has been slow to start, as legal wrangling over whether or not the Army can shave Hasan’s beard has taken center stage. Hasan claims the beard is an expression of her Muslim faith, but Army codes dictate a soldier must be clean-shaven at his court martial. Today, Judge Col. Gregory Gross ordered that Hasan’s beard by shaved, reports The New York Times.

Overshadowed by the beard aspect was an announcement from Hasan’s attorneys that he had offered to enter a guilty plea, but as the Associated Press reports,  he’s prevented from doing so in the Fort Hood case:

Reports: Willie Nelson Cancels Concert Due to Breathing Problems

Denver news outlets are reporting that Willie Nelson canceled an appearance at a fundraising event in Colorado on Saturday because the singer was taken to the hospital.

The fundraiser’s host told The Denver Post that he was informed that Nelson was taken to the hospital for breathing problems.

Nelson is 79-years-old. He’s scheduled to play at The Backyard at Bee Cave on Saturday. There’s no word on his current condition or if any upcoming performances will be canceled.

Recalled Lettuce Was Shipped to Texas

A California company is recalling more than 2,000 cases of romaine lettuce that were distributed to 19 states including Texas because the lettuce may be contaminated with E. Coli.