Josh Duggar hasn’t scored many victories in recent years.
But the disgraced reality star was awarded a rare win in court this week, when a judge extended the deadline for Josh and his attorneys to file a brief in their appeal of Duggar’s child pornography conviction.
Back in May, Josh was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison for his crimes.
In June, he was transferred to Seagoville Federal Correctional Institution, in Seagoville, Texas, which will serve as his home for the next 12 and a half years.
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In their appeal filing, Josh’s lawyers explained that their client’s relocation to a new state is one of the reasons that they’ll need more time to prepare his appeal.
“Duggar is appealing his one-count conviction following a criminal jury trial,” the filing states.
“Given the length of the transcript arising out of this criminal jury trial, the complexity of the possible issues on appeal, and the need for undersigned counsel to confer with Duggar, who is in custody in Texas, Duggar respectfully requests an additional 30 days within which to file his opening brief.”
Josh’s lawyers noted that this is their client’s “first request for an extension of time and this request is not intended to hinder or delay the proceedings.”
The deadline for Josh’s appeal had been scheduled for today, August 1.
Now, attorneys for the 34-year-old will have until August 22 to submit their request.
Once the appeal is submitted, prosecutors will have 21 days to reply with their own brief, in which they will likely explain why they believe Josh is not deserving of a second trial.
The appeals court previously released a statement explaining that “dates are only extended upon the filing of a timely motion establishing good cause.”
So we guess it’s safe to assume that the judge found the argument about Josh’s transfer compelling.
And Josh’s lawyers are not the only ones who have been inconvenienced by his relocation from Arkansas to Texas.
The inmate’s family and friends have reportedly complained to the bureau of prisons about the six-hour drive that they’ll be forced to make in order to visit him.
Those appeals, however, are likely to fall on deaf ears.
Technically, Josh could have been shipped off to any federal prison in the country, and the judge did his family a favor by keeping him relatively close to home.
Seagoville was reportedly chosen because of its nationally-renowned therapy program for sex offenders.
Of course, Josh maintains that he’s innocent of any wrongdoing, so he’s unlikely to benefit from the program.
Meanwhile, his wife, Anna Duggar, is rumored to have moved to Texas in order to be closer to her disgraced husband.
While it’s possible that Anna is dividing her time between the two states, we doubt that she’s settled in Texas on a permanent basis.
After all, Anna still has seven kids to support, and she’d likely have a hard time managing without the help of the Arkansas-based Duggars.
But the fact that Anna is spending so much time in Texas that fans believe she’s become a permanent resident really tells you all you need to know about her devotion to Josh.
Insiders say Anna remains convinced of her husband’s innocence.
And if his request for a second trial is granted, we’re sure she’ll once again be front and center in the courtroom as a show of support.
