It appears that the inquest judge does not carry that much weight in the scheme of things any way. Sort of like a middle man.
I have a difficult time believing that Howard (who was not married to ANS) can block the determination of paternity. He might delay it. But to hide it when there are bound to be leaks? With the development of DNA, this makes no sense. His frantic efforts to hide paternity should be red flags to any honest investigator.