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Osborn barred any reference Hasan Akbar, a Muslim soldier sentenced to death for attacking fellow soldiers in Kuwait during the 2003 Iraq invasion. Prosecutors wanted to prove Hasan's attack was a "copycat," but the judge said introducing such material would "only open the door to a mini-trial" of Akbar.

She also said such evidence would result in a "confusion of issues, unfair prejudice, waste of time and undo delay."


The judge also told prosecutors that they couldn't cite Hasan's interest years ago in conscientious objector status and his past academic presentations. Osborn said such evidence was too old and irrelevant.

However, the judge will allow evidence about Internet searches on Hasan's computer around the time of the attack and websites that Hasan had listed as "favorites." Osborn said that information was more timely.


Prosecutors indicated that they had between 15 and 25 witnesses left, though it wasn't immediately clear how Monday's ruling would shorten prosecutors' case. Either way, Hasan was expected to get his chance to defend himself as early as Tuesday.

But the Army psychiatrist who is acting as his own attorney has put up little in a way of a defense so far and remained largely silent during the first two weeks of his trial.

He signaled before trial that he had just two witnesses. And during a barely one-minute opening statement, he told jurors that evidence "will clearly show that I am the shooter," but he said it wouldn't tell the whole story.


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