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A quick update....
Reuters, 22 May 13Accused Fort Hood shooting spree gunman Major Nidal Hasan asked a U.S. military judge on Wednesday for permission to fire his court-appointed lawyers and represent himself at his court martial, a Fort Hood spokesman said.
The judge, Colonel Tara Osborn, will consider Hasan's request at a hearing next week. Jury selection, which had been scheduled to begin next week, has been pushed back to June 5, the spokesman said.
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Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Addicott, a former legal adviser to the Army Special Forces and now a law professor at St. Mary's University in Austin, Texas, said the request was not surprising given that Hasan previously fired civilian lawyers.
Hasan has the right to represent himself, but Osborn can, and probably will, insist that his military attorney, Lieutenant Colonel Kris Poppe remain at the defense table to provide legal advice.
"If he doesn't want to listen to his lawyer, he doesn't have to listen to his lawyer," Addicott said. "But he will not be as competent in raising any type of defense that would have any positive effect on the outcome of his trial." ....