They then replied to my complaint to the lack of finality in their proposed final order as “specious.” These last minute statements deprived me of the right to reply formally. I felt a motion to strike would be out of tune with the tenor of the case Court and counsel had maintained for the last sixteen years. So I would respond as best I could according to the decorum of the hearing, in preparation for an unfavorable decision.

As I sat in my home office preparing an oral argument, gone was the euphoria I felt last December 15th, accompanied by congratulations of supporters and the hugs of two “disgruntled” parents.