It’s been over a year since Josh Duggar was convicted on charges of receiving and possessing child pornography.
The disgraced reality star and father of seven was sentenced to 151 months in prison for his crime, and he won’t be eligible for parole until 2032.
He currently resides at the Seagoville Federal Correctional Institute near Dallas.
But it looks like Duggar will soon be back in court thanks to an appeal his lawyers filed just weeks after his indictment.
According to a new report from northwest Arkansas Fox affiliate KNWA, a date has been set for oral arguments on Josh’s appeal.
It was announced today that the accused predator will be back in court on Thursday, February 16, as his lawyers launch a Hail Mary effort to have Duggar acquitted of all charges against him.
The judge in Josh’s case has made it clear that lawyers for both sides must present their arguments in court.
“Counsel cannot refuse oral arguments without permission before the court,” the judge wrote, adding that “only one lawyer is allowed to present arguments for a party.”
Prosecutors have gone to great lengths to block the appeal to this point, arguing that the claims made by Duggar’s lawyers are “not uniform.”
Josh’s legal team argued that the court “violated Duggar’s right to present a full defense” with its decision during the trial.
Specifically, he took issue with the judge’s decision not to allow the defense to call a man named Caleb Williams.
Williams is a longtime friend of the Duggar family who is rumored to be dating Josh’s oldest sister, Jana Duggar.
He is also a sex offender.
Josh said he hired Caleb to do some freelance IT work at a car dealership, and Williams took the opportunity to download child sexual abuse material using Duggar’s office computer.
Williams said he was able to prove he was in a different country when CSAM was downloaded.
In court next month, lawyers for Duggar will ask not only for a second trial, but also permission to call Williams to the stand.
The stakes couldn’t be higher for Josh, as this will be his last chance to avoid spending the next decade behind bars.
In addition to the prison sentence, Josh will be required to undergo 20 years of supervised release, during which time he will not be allowed to spend time alone in the presence of minors.
Insiders say Josh’s wife, Anna Duggar, remains adamant that he is innocent.
They will be on hand to show their support when Josh returns to court in February.
Josh’s parents are also confident that he will be freed on appeal, but don’t expect many of his relatives to be in the courtroom.
It seems that most of them finally saw the light and realized that their sister is a monster.
We will have more updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.