Josh Duggar Child Pornography Trial Delayed Until November
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Josh Duggar's criminal trial has been delayed.
A federal judge on Tuesday pushed the trial to Nov. 30, according to federal court records. It was originally set to begin on July 6.
The decision comes a few weeks after Duggar's defense team, led by attorney Justin Gelfand, filed a motion in the Western District of Arkansas Court to delay the trial until February 2022.
In the motion, Gelfand said the defense has hired a computer forensics expert to review the case evidence and needs more time to complete the process.
"The defense has retained an independent computer forensic expert who must conduct a computer forensic examination of each of the devices at issue — a time-consuming process that requires review at a government facility for the one device the Government alleges contained child pornography," the motion read.
Kris Connor/Getty Josh Duggar
The prosecution filed a response shortly after suggesting a "reasonable continuance" of about three months to allow for the expert to review the digital evidence, stating that postponing the trial until next year "would result in unnecessary delay."
In a statement to PEOPLE on Tuesday, Gelfand said: "We are pleased with the Court's decision and we look forward to continuing to litigate this case."
RELATED: Jinger Duggar and Jeremy Vuolo Speak Out After Counting On Cancellation: 'We Wholeheartedly Agree'
Danny Johnston/AP/Shutterstock Josh Duggar
In April, Duggar pleaded not guilty to charges of receiving and possessing child pornography.
The 19 Kids and Counting alum faces up to 20 years of imprisonment and up to $250,000 in fines on each of the two counts if he is convicted, a total possible sentence of 40 years, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Western District of Arkansas.
Duggar was released from jail one week after his April arrest. As he awaits trial, he is required to stay with third party custodians, Lacount and Maria Reber, and is confined to their home via GPS tracking.
He was additionally granted "unlimited contact" with his children - Mackynzie Renée, 11, Michael James, 9, Marcus Anthony, 7, Meredith Grace, 5, Mason Garrett, 3, and Maryella Hope, 17 months - provided that his wife Anna is present. However, he is not allowed to see any other minor children, including his many nieces and nephews.
RELATED VIDEO: Josh Duggar Had More Than 200 Images of 'Child Sexual Abuse Material' on His Computer: Authorities
Duggar, who prosecutors believe had more than 200 images of children on his computer, is no stranger to controversy. In 2015, a 2006 police report that surfaced indicated he was investigated for molesting five underage girls, including sisters Jill Duggar Dillard and Jessa Duggar Seewald. He said at the time that he was "extremely sorry" for the "wrongdoing."
That same year, Duggar revealed that he cheated on Anna and admitted to struggling with an addiction to pornography after Gawker reported about his active accounts on Ashley Madison - a website that helps facilitate extramarital affairs.
A source told PEOPLE last month that Anna is "standing by" her husband and "thinks [he's] innocent."
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Meanwhile, also on Tuesday, news broke that TLC had canceled Counting On after 11 seasons.
"TLC will not be producing additional seasons of Counting On," the network said in a statement to PEOPLE. "TLC feels it is important to give the Duggar family the opportunity to address their situation privately."
Counting On premiered on TLC in 2015 and served as a spinoff series to 19 Kids and Counting, which ran from 2008 to 2015. The spinoff was created amid the molestation controversy surrounding Josh.
