It seems like lawsuits work on about a ~1 year latency scale too, so I don't see how that would improve the situation. The site owner had counsel, and they chose the best mechanism they could see to get the result they wanted. And ultimately they did. The courts don't work quickly, sadly.
There's also a good chance that after the lawyer was first stonewalled, he saw a bigger lawsuit opportunity down the road if it persisted. And it did. I still expect civil action against the government to be on the way.
