The appeal of Brent Wilkes, who was convicted in 2007 of bribing former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, has been delayed again.

The former defense contractor remains free on $2 million bail.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said earlier this month that it won’t hear the appeal until the U.S. Supreme Court issues its rulings in the appeals of former Enron CEO Jeff Skilling and former Rep. Bruce Weyrauch.

Those cases involve the crime of depriving the public of the right to “honest services,” the same law federal prosecutors in San Diego used against Wilkes.

Wilkes’s briefing papers now are due before the 9th Circuit about a month after the Supreme Court issues its rulings in Skilling and Weyrauch. The earlier deadline was today.

With more arguing back and forth and the average wait of a year for a ruling from the court, it will be a long time before Wilkes sees the inside of prison again.

It’s a pretty sweet deal for Wilkes, who is being represented by the federal public defender’s office in San Diego.

Cunningham is due to be released in 2013, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons website.

Amazingly, it’s looking increasingly likely that Duke may finish serving his sentence before Wilkes starts serving his.