Joseph Duggar is now attempting to overturn one of the strictest conditions tied to his release as his criminal case continues to unfold in Florida.

During a court hearing on May 18, Joseph did not personally appear after previously waiving his right to attend. However, his attorney formally entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf to two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior connected to allegations involving a 9-year-old girl in 2020.

While the hearing itself was brief, the bigger development happened behind the scenes.

Just one day earlier, Joseph’s lawyer filed a motion asking the judge to modify the conditions of his pretrial release — specifically the rule banning him from having unsupervised contact with minors under 18, including his own four children.

When Joseph was released from custody in March after being extradited from Arkansas, the court imposed strict restrictions as part of his $600,000 bond agreement. Those conditions reportedly included no contact with the alleged victim and absolutely no unsupervised interaction with any minors.

Court documents even reportedly contained a handwritten warning emphasizing: “No unsupervised contact with any minors under 18.”

Joseph’s legal team is now asking the court to ease that restriction only for his biological children, arguing he should be allowed to spend time alone with them while awaiting trial.

Meanwhile, Kendra Duggar — Joseph’s wife and the mother of his children — has remained mostly out of the public eye since the charges became public. Unlike Joseph, she is currently allowed unsupervised contact with the children after a judge lifted her own no-contact order earlier this year.

The Duggar family’s legal troubles continue to expand beyond Florida as well. Joseph and Kendra are also facing separate charges in Arkansas involving child endangerment and false imprisonment allegations, though both have pleaded not guilty.

Joseph’s next court appearance in the Florida case is currently scheduled for July.