December 18, 2012 - 1:35 AM
FORT HOOD, Texas - The Army psychiatrist charged in the deadly Fort Hood shooting rampage is to appear in military court for his first pretrial hearing in more than three months.
The new judge overseeing Maj. Nidal Hasan's case is to discuss the trial schedule during Tuesday's hearing.
Hasan faces the death penalty if convicted in the 2009 rampage that killed 13 and wounded more than two dozen others on the Texas Army post.
Hasan's case had been on hold since September, when he appealed the former judge's order to shave his beard or be forcibly shaved before his court-martial. But two weeks ago, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces ousted the judge and tossed his order.
The ruling said the command, not a judge, is responsible for enforcing grooming standards.
News from © The Associated Press, 2012