The Crystal Rogers appeals are moving at different speeds. Steve Lawson's just got a panel.

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Steve Lawson's fight to overturn his conviction in the Crystal Rogers case just hit a major milestone.

According to court records, Lawson's appeal was assigned to a merits panel on September 25. That means the briefing is done, the case has been handed to a group of judges, and those judges will now decide whether the conviction stands.

If you've been following this case for a while, you know it has moved in slow, frustrating increments. This is not one of those. It's the point where the appeal stops being paperwork and starts being a real decision.