A military judge has been removed from the Fort Hood shooting case due to a perceived lack of impartiality, the Wall Street Journal reports. Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Hassan is charged with the murder of 13 people in a 2009 shooting. 

Mr. Hasan appealed after Col. Gregory Gross ordered that he must be clean-shaven or forcibly shaved before his military trial, which was supposed to begin three months ago. It has been on hold pending the appeals. Mr. Hasan has argued that his beard is a requirement of his Muslim faith. Facial hair violates Army regulations.

An Army appeals court upheld the shaving requirement in October, but on Monday the appeals court said the command, not the judge, is responsible for enforcing grooming standards.