Earlier this week, we reported that Josh Duggar has decided not to accept a plea deal that might prevent him from serving 20 years in prison on child pornography charges.

The deadline to cooperate with prosecutors has come and gone, and it seems that Josh intends to take his chances at trial.

The news is especially surprising as it comes on the heels of a series of legal setbacks for Duggar.

Josh's trial was originally scheduled to begin in July, but his lawyers succeeded in having it postponed until late November.

Their stated reason for the postponement was the need for more prep time, but it quickly became clear that they hoped to have the charges thrown out before the case even went to trial.

Josh's lawyers filed five motions to have evidence dismissed, and four of them were denied at a hearing that was held on September 27.

You might remember this as the occasion on which Josh and wife Anna Duggar both left the courtroom with big smiles on their faces despite the very bad news they had just received.

The couple might have been able to keep up appearances after the first four motions were dismissed, but they're probably starting to get worried now that a judge ruled against them on the fifth motion as well.

Yes, it was reported this week that the judge in Josh's case will allow key pieces of video evidence that his lawyers were trying to have suppressed.

In a decision that was revealed on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks declared that despite the defense's arguments that the evidence is no longer relevant, the video has been deemed admissible.

Judge Brooks stated that a hearing to determine the validity of the evidence was not necessary.

While the exact nature of the footage is unclear, this decision appears to be very bad news for Josh.

In this case, the defense's argument seems to have been especially weak, as attorneys attempted to convince the judge that the evidence had grown "stale" due to the amount of time that had elapsed since Josh's workplace was raided back in November of 2019.

So yes, the same legal team that had the trial pushed back is now arguing that that same postponement rendered key pieces of evidence irrelevant.

You almost have to admire the audacity.

Judge Brooks stated that "staleness" is generally not an issue in child pornography cases.

That remark has led many to the conclusion that the video in question consists of pornographic content that was seized from Josh's computer.

Whatever the case, it seems more and more certain that Josh will be found guilty and sentenced to a lengthy bid in prison when this case finally goes to trial.

Insiders say that after months of denial, Anna Duggar has begun to prepare for the possibility of Josh going to prison.

While she has received no direct financial support from her in-laws, her recent involvement in some shady Duggar real estate deals seems designed to ensure that she'll be provided for while Josh is locked up.

Yes, the Duggar crime empire is not limited to Josh's activities.

But hopefully he'll be the first one to finally be held accountable.