These days, it seems as though everyone is inundated with constant reports about the negativity and hostility that characterize American life in the 21st century.
But three weeks ago, we were able to bring you some good news for a change:
After months of delays and legal wrangling, Josh Duggar lost his appeal for a new trial, meaning that the lifelong predator will rot in prison for most of the next decade.
Or at least that’s what we thought at the time …
According to a new report from UK tabloid The Sun, Josh’s campaign to have his conviction overturned is not quite DOA.
Last week, Duggar’s attorney filed for an “extension of time within which he may file his petition for rehearing in this case.”
“Since the Opinion was issued, undersigned counsel has had difficulty communicating with Appellant because he is currently detained at a facility in a different state,” reads a document filed by Josh’s legal team.
“It is essential that undersigned counsel discuss this Court’s opinion and the complex issues involved with Appellant before filing a petition for rehearing.”
Josh’s lawyers asked that he be granted 14 days to file his petition for a new hearing.
And in a disappointing turn of events, the judge in Josh’s case has granted those additional 14 days.
It’s still unlikely that Josh will be granted a second trial, but if he and his lawyers are able to clear that hurdle and present their case to a new judge, then there’s a non-zero chance that Josh will be set free.
And that’s a terrifying idea.
Back in 2021, Josh was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison on charges of receiving and possessing child pornography.
Investigators described the content they found as the most disturbing images they had ever seen.
Many were upset by what they saw as a slap-on-the-wrist sentence that could have Josh back on the streets as early as 2032.
Thankfully, it would be a supervised release that would prevent Josh from using the internet or spending time in the presence of minors without another adult on hand to monitor his behavior.
Josh’s lawyers have argued that their client mistakenly believed that he was under arrest on the day that federal agents raided his office.
Because of this, they claim, comments Josh made that day should not have been admitted as evidence during his trial.
That argument was shot down in the ruling issued by earlier this month:
“It is true that the agents read him his Miranda rights, which ordinarily might leave someone with the impression they are in custody,” the court ruled.
“But when Duggar signed a form acknowledging his rights, he had the agents ‘scratch out’ the portion saying that he was being ‘taken into custody.’ Modifying the form made it clear he was free to leave.
“The second and third factors also favor the government. Duggar sat in the front passenger seat of the agents’ truck during the interview.
“They ‘did not handcuff him, the doors remained unlocked, and he entered and exited the front seat of the vehicle on his own,’ which means he’ retained freedom of movement throughout the’ encounter,” the ruling continued.
“And although the agents ‘initiated contact with’ Duggar, he still ‘voluntarily acquiesced’ to the questioning,” the judge explained.
“Indeed, he began the interview with a question of his own—'[H]as somebody been downloading child pornography?’—and ‘continued to converse’ with them for about an hour.”
Needless to say, the court seems to have presented an iron-clad argument against Josh’s specious claims that he was tricked into making incriminating statements.
But because the convicted predator has his father’s bankroll behind him, you can sure he’ll never stop searching for some sort of loophole that would allow him to walk free.
Let’s hope he never finds it.