Fort Hood shootings: judge who ordered beard shaved is taken off case

[alp227]

Source: the guardian

The military judge who ordered the Fort Hood shooting suspect to shave off his beard has been removed from the case.

The accused man, Major Nidal Hasan, is a Muslim blamed for the killings of 13 people on the Texas army base in 2009 and could face the death penalty if found guilty.

The judge in the court martial, Colonel Gregory Gross, had ordered Hasan's beard shaven off for the trial, either voluntarily or by force, arguing it violated army regulations.

But on Monday the US military's highest court court appeal removed Gross and threw out the shaving order, saying Gross appeared to have failed to remain impartial. The court suggested Gross had engaged in a "duel of wills" with Hasan about his beard and other matters.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/04/fort-hood-shootings-judge-dismissed

[Ken Burch]

1. Why did the judge even CARE about the freaking beard?

Why does he care what the defendant LOOKS like?

Isn't it enough that they have the guy in leg-irons?

Hasan's on trial for mass murder...NOT breaking Army grooming policy.

[alp227]

2. Because court rules forbid facial hair.

[Ken Burch]

3. It's hardly the central issue here, though.

Not looking to pick a fight with you, just wondering if it was ever worth if for the judge to obsess on that particular trivial detail.

It's not as if the guy was gonna be acquitted if they couldn't make him shave.

[AtheistCrusader]

14. It's a military court.

He's a military prisoner, on trial under the UCMJ.

The rules are ALLLLLL different. I surprised they pulled the judge off, actually.

[PavePusher]

9. Well, not court rules, precisely....

Military uniform and appearance regs, technically.

[dballance]

4. It violates army regulations - not court regulations

This is clearly an instance of an asshole judge trying to impose US standards on non-US citizens. It may be against Army regulations but the defendant is not part of the US army. Nor does facial hair pose any threat to the court or its proceedings. If I were his lawyer I would have argued discrimination to the high heavens.

[KWorth]

5. The defendant is in the Army

he's a Maj. in the US Army and therefore subject to Army Regs.

[dballance]

6. OOPs, sorry. I'm wrong.

I thought he was someone we took off the fields of the ME.

[KWorth]

7. No problem.

He was a psychiatrist I believe.

[jmowreader]

8. He was.

[PavePusher]

10. Wrong case, councellor....

I'll fix that coffee-maker....

[LeftInTX]

11. That beard thing went on for months....

Back and forth it went.

Finally they said the beard had to go.

Now, the beard is back?

[Ken Burch]

12. The military mindset in action...who cares if it's a massacre trial?

Who cares if justice for the victims and their families is delayed?

They've got an APPEARANCE POLICY to maintain, by gum.



It would almost have served the Army prosecutors right if Hasan had somehow escaped while they were postponing the trial over the beard fight.

[Mojorabbit]

13. I thought the same thing. Odd isn't it?

For me, it made no sense. The guy will be convicted. Who cares if he has a beard or no. The judge going wild on it seemed weird to me. I am glad they took him off the case.