(KCEN)— The court martial for accused Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan has been delayed to June 12.
It was previously scheduled for March 5, but a delay was granted after Hasan's defense attorneys' requested a delay so that they can better prepare for the trial.
Lt. Col. Kris Poppe, Hasan's lead attorney, said the request is "purely a matter of necessity of adequate time for pretrial preparation."
The judge did agree that one of the defense experts, a specialist in mitigation evidence, needs more time to complete his review of Hasan's background. The judge also agreed that the defense team needs more time to sift through the volumes of documents related to this case.
The judge denied the motion presented by the defense attorney's last October where they requested expert assistance on the effect of pre-trial publicity and for help in selecting panel (jury) members.
The request for a panel selection expert was granted. The expert will assist the defense attorneys in questioning the panel members before the court-martial to determine which members should be excused from sitting on the panel.
The defense also filed a motion to compel the prosecution to provide them with notes from meetings and conversations between the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other high-ranking officials in the aftermath of the shooting on Fort Hood on Nov. 5, 2009.
The defense attorneys requested the notes so they can determine if any matter was discussed which may have been unlawfully influenced the independent discretion of Hasan's chain of command to prosecute him.
The motion from the prosecution team that investigation reports prepared by the U.S. Department of Defense regarding Hasan's military career be protected from further dissemination by the defense attorneys.
The defense attorneys appose the protective order and requested that the judge allow them time to prepare a response to the prosecution's motion.
Arguments from both sides will be heard by the judge before a ruling is made.
The judge also commented on the matter that was discussed in the last hearing in November where the defense attorneys requested they be allowed to talk privately with the commanding general of Fort Hood and the staff judge advocate who gives legal advice to the commanding general to inquire into their qualifications to proceed with this case as capital murder trial.
The prosecution said such private access is unnecessary and asked for more time to prepare a response.
Hasan is charged with killing 13 people and wounding dozens more in the killing spree at a medical building at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009, where soldiers were screened before deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan.
His court martial, in which prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, is now set to begin June 12. Hasan has not entered a plea.
