Disgraced TLC Star Josh Duggar's Appeal for New Trial Officially Terminated

Josh Duggar will remain behind bars until 2032.

The former TLC star's petition for a new trial was terminated by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit earlier this month, according to new legal documents.

The petition for the appeal came in October 2022 after the 35-year-old's legal team claimed Duggar's phone had been taken away while being questioned by investigators. They argued that any statements he gave to authorities without his attorney present should never have been allowed to be included in the trial.

Statements used as evidence in the case included Duggar asking agents why they were at his car dealership and if anybody had "been downloading child pornography."

However, the court claimed that "the right to present a complete defense does not trump a district court’s discretion to keep out confusing or misleading evidence, even if it would be helpful to the defense."

The court also pointed out that Duggar "ended the interview on his own and then left" which would not have been an "option available to someone in custody" at the time.

Late last year, former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani — who wasn't involved in the case — predicted that the appeal attempt would fail.

"I mean, these images were on his HP laptop computer, there’s a digital paper trail that shows that he’s on the internet downloading these images," the legal guru said. "I don’t think he has a very good argument on appeal ... both in terms of the actual guilt and in terms of the sentence, he’s very likely gonna lose."

As OK! previously reported, Duggar was found guilty of receiving and possessing child pornography in December 2021. Roughly five months later, in May 2022, the father-of-seven — who shares Mackynzie, Michael, Marcus, Meredith, Mason, Maryella and Madyson with wife Anna — was sentenced to serve 12 and a half years in prison after Judge Timothy L. Brooks called his crimes "the sickest of the sick."

"You have done some very bad things. But in your life as a whole, you’ve done good things… The true test of a man’s character is what a man does when no one is watching," the judge said at the time. "I find it aggravating about the lack of responsibility."

Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!

Josh was transferred to Federal Correctional Institution Seagoville in Texas in June 2022 and he is expected to serve out the remainder of his sentence there.

Us Weekly reported that Duggar's appeal had been terminated.