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’19 Kids and Counting’ Alum Josh Duggar’s Appeal in Child Pornography Case Rejected By Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Josh Duggar‘s appeal in his child pornography case on Monday, June 24, In Touch can confirm.
Duggar, 36, was sentenced in May 2022 to 12 years in federal prison after being found guilty of receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography. He’s currently serving his sentence in FCI Seagoville federal prison in Texas.
A federal appeals court previously upheld the conviction in August 2023, as had other lower courts.
The legal paperwork was filed to associate justice Brett Kavanaugh on December 20, 2023, before the December 27 deadline for the “writ of certiorari on Mr. Duggar’s behalf.”
“Mr. Duggar’s case raises an important question, inter alia, concerning a criminal defendant’s constitutional right to present a complete defense,” Duggar’s lawyer wrote, according to the documents obtained by In Touch. Arguing that the former reality star’s case was not granted “the time necessary to adequately prepare the petition,” Duggar’s legal team asserted that his defense would “benefit” from more time and consultation with him.
The Supreme Court did not elaborate on the denial of Duggar’s appeal.
The former 19 Kids and Counting star was arrested in April 2021 after he “allegedly used the internet to download child sexual abuse material,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Arkansas shared in a press release at the time. “Duggar allegedly possessed this material, some of which depicts the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12, in May 2019.”
Duggar went to trial in November 2021 and was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography on December 9, 2021. The latter charge was dropped at Duggar’s sentencing trial on May 25, 2022.
The following month, the 19 Kids and Counting alum’s legal team filed an appeal and requested a new trial. In the filing obtained by In Touch, Duggar’s legal team argued that the “court’s limitation on his questioning of a potential witness deprived him of his constitutional right to present a defense.”
The eldest son of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar began serving his sentence at FCI Seagoville in June 2022. His release date was set for August 2032, but it was extended by two months to October 203 ]due to Duggar allegedly possessing a cell phone while serving his sentence in February 2023.
When he was 15 years old, Duggar confessed to his father, Jim Bob, 58, that he molested five underaged girls including his sisters Jill Duggar and Jessa Duggar. Instead of reporting the incident to authorities, the patriarch consulted with the elders of his church and opted to send his son to a Christian rehab center.
In Touch exclusively broke the story about Josh’s dark past and previously obtained and published a Springdale Police Department report about the molestation by using the Freedom of Information Act in 2015.
The Washington County Sheriff’s document revealed that Jim Bob and Michelle, 57, waited at least 16 months before contacting authorities about the molestations, even though the behavior was continuing and growing worse. The scandal resulted in TLC canceling 19 Kids and Counting.
In August 2015, Duggar confessed to being addicted to pornography and cheating on wife Anna Duggar.
“I have been the biggest hypocrite ever,” he wrote in a statement. “While espousing faith and family values, I have secretly over the last several years been viewing pornography on the internet and this became a secret addiction and I became unfaithful to my wife.”
He continued, “I brought hurt and a reproach to my family, close friends and the fans of our show with my actions that happened when I was 14-15 years old, and now I have re-broken their trust.”
“The last few years, while publicly stating I was fighting against immorality in our country, I was hiding my own personal failings. As I am learning the hard way, we have the freedom to choose to our actions, but we do not get to choose our consequences. I deeply regret all hurt I have caused so many by being such a bad example,” Duggar concluded.
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