A military judge delayed a pretrial hearing Friday after Maj. Nidal Hasan, accused in the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, appeared in a military courtroom sporting a full beard that his attorneys said he grew for religious reasons.
Col. Gregory Gross called the beard, which violated Army grooming regulations, a disruption to court proceedings and halted the hearing, Fort Hood officials said. Gross said a new hearing would be held soon - possibly next week - and that Hasan would have to watch proceedings outside the courtroom on closed-circuit television unless he complied with an order to "appear with proper military grooming standards," Fort Hood officials said.
Over the past two years, Hasan, who remains an active duty service member, has appeared in court clean-shaven and with closely cropped hair. Hasan appeared Friday with a full beard and longer hair.
Defense attorneys cited cases of other soldiers who were granted permission to grow their beards during a court-martial for religious reasons and indicated they would file an exception to the grooming policy based on religious accommodation, Fort Hood officials said. Hasan is Muslim.
Army Regulation 670-1-8 allows neatly trimmed mustaches, but prohibits beards, goatees and handlebar mustaches.
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