A judge has ordered Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the military psychiatrist who is accused of fatally shooting 13 at Fort Hood, Texas, to stand trial in three months.
Jury selection for his court-martial is set for May 29, while testimony will begin July 1, CNN reported.
The legal proceedings against Mr. Hasan, who is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder for the 2009 attack, have been delayed several times. It was supposed to start in March 2012, but was held by discussions of whether the Army could force him to shave his beard. Military regulations say that soldiers cannot have beards while they are in uniform; Mr. Hasan declared he was a Muslim and to force a shaving would violate his First Amendment rights.
In the end, he lost that argument and was forced to shave.
Mr. Hasan faces the death penalty if convicted.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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