The attempt Josh Duggar made to appeal his conviction of possessing and receiving child sexual assault material may have fallen through, but apparently, he’s not giving up. This week, the former 19 Kids and Counting star began a new attempt at getting his conviction vacated from behind bars: He is asking for a free, court-appointed lawyer to help him continue to fight his case. Has the bank of Jim Bob already run dry?
Josh filed the paperwork on Tuesday.
According to Arkansas local news affiliate KWNA, Josh has filed documents stating that “new legal theories and strategies [that] have emerged in public discourse” may lead to his freedom, so he’s seeking an attorney to help him continue to fight his conviction.
“The defendant requests counsel for the limited purpose of reviewing the record, evaluating possible constitutional claims, and, if meritorious grounds exist, preparing and filing a motion,” the court documents say.
He claims that he can’t afford a lawyer on his own.
Josh wrote that he is hoping “to consult with counsel to fully evaluate the potential of these emerging strategies and how they may support a motion for relief.”
Until now, Josh has had his own privately hired legal counsel, but now, he says that as an incarcerated person, he does not have the funds to hire one again.
Josh’s parents have been thought to be footing the bill for his legal fees.
Back in December, a source told In Touch that after Jim Bob and Michelle paid for their oldest son’s legal costs, they had also been bankrolling his prison account to the point that he’d simply come to expect it.
“Truth is, Josh has been rescued by his folks so many times and he probably thinks he deserves the finer things,” the source said at the time. “Jim Bob and Michelle are sick with worry and Josh is guilting them even more into sending him cash so he can buy the luxuries that would otherwise be unavailable to him and live in style.”
He has supposedly been on his best behavior behind bars.
Earlier this week, an insider told In Touch that Josh has been following all the rules in prison … except for that time he got caught with a contraband cellphone in 2023, of course.
“He’s pretty quiet and keeps to himself, other than the little hiccup with the cellphone,” they said. “He’s been basically a model prisoner.”
