..this whole lawsuit was a waste of time.
That's what the judge said. He also said it was a waste of taxpayers money.
But he issued a 138 page opinion and ruled that there was a violation of the establishment clause. He should have dismissed the case on summary judgment motion before the case ever went to trial. There was no violation of the establishment clause. It took the judge 138 pages to come up with a rather contrived reason to say there was.
The problem is that the Lemon Test requires that the motives of the lawmakers or government officials must be taken into account and if they had an improper motive, then the court must strike down the law or the action. The Lemon Test is idiotic and this is where it will lead.
Don't blame the school district, blame the Lemon Test. Blame the courts. This is their doing. The judge should have spent 138 pages chastising himself for not dismissing the case on Summary Judgment motion. But it appears he had an agenda too.