FORT HOOD, Texas, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- A lawyer says he has agreed to defend the Army major charged in the Nov. 5 massacre at Fort Hood, Texas, because all soldiers deserve a fair trial.
John Galligan has taken much abuse for agreeing to defend Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan in a military court on 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder. But he told The Dallas Morning News he's doing it because "I love soldiers" and even those accused of the most horrific crimes deserve a fair hearing.
The newspaper said Galligan has defended so many Fort Hood soldiers accused of crimes over the years that the joke is his phone number is scrawled on the wall of the Bell County, Texas, jail.
But Hasan's case will present his biggest challenge by far, he told the newspaper.
Galligan said the case will test the military justice system's ability to deliver a fair trial.
"For a long period of time, we've been able to make marked improvements from the system that was so criticized in the past. I think this case could very well threaten the progress we've made," Galligan said. "You don't get anything more significant than whether you can get a fair trial."
