UPDATE (KCEN) -- The Criminal Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces has issued a stay in all court proceedings in the Hasan case.
The stay was issued because the defense filed a petition with the Criminal Court of Appeals questioning whether Judge Gross has the right to have Hasan forcibly shaved.
Depending on when the Criminal Court of Appeals decides on this issue, the Hasan trial might not begin on Monday as scheduled.
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(KCEN) -- Maj. Nidal Hasan was found in contempt of court for a fifth time today in another pre-trial hearing.
Hasan still refuses to shave his beard, which is against military policy. He was fined $1,000 and moved to a trailer to watch the court proceedings via video.
The judge denied two motions today.
One was the defense's motion to allow Hasan to enter a guilty plea for the murder charges. Hasan is not allowed to enter a guilty plea on something punishable by death, but the defense was asking for an exception to this because of religious reasons.
Judge Gross also denied the defense's motion to go back to the point where the Staff Judge Advocate referred this as a capital case. The defense argued that the Staff Judge Advocate was too wrapped up in the case to give a neutral referral.
He is expected to re-enter the courtroom to give his plea on charges of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others in a shooting rampage on Fort Hood in November of 2009.
Another pre-trial hearing is scheduled for tomorrow before the trial officially begins on August 20.
