Maj. Nidal Hasan's attorneys argued Wednesday that the judge should recuse himself. They claimed there was an appearance of bias since Col. Gregory Gross was on the Texas Army post the day of the 2009 shootings.
But Gross says he was presiding over a trial that day and news of the rampage had minimal effect on him.
Gross says he hasn't read news articles about Hasan's background and has never seen Fort Hood's memorial to the victims.
Hasan faces a death sentence or life in prison without parole if convicted. He's charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.