WASHINGTON (RNS) A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit in which an atheist attempted to halt the use of references to God during President Obama’s inauguration.

Judge Reggie B. Walton of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia had already denied Michael Newdow’s initial request for a preliminary injunction days before the Jan. 20 swearing-in.

On Thursday (March 12), Walton dismissed the entire case, saying the California emergency room physician lacked standing to challenge the prayers at the ceremony because previous courts had determined he lacked standing.

Newdow had sought to prevent Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts from saying “so help me God” during the presidential oath of office. He also wanted to stop clergy from presenting the invocation and benediction.

The American Humanist Association, whose legal center worked with Newdow on the case, intends to appeal.

“There is a deep lack of understanding by the court how the nontheistic community suffered when a dominant Christian culture was endorsed by the government in the 2009 presidential inaugural ceremony,” said Bob Ritter, an attorney with the association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center.

Newdow and the association amended their complaint two days before the judge’s decision with an additional 230 plaintiffs, and argued that future inaugurations might also run the risk of including “purely religious dogma.”

Walton noted the amended complaint in his order, saying the additional plaintiffs are in a similar situation and “the speculative nature about what will occur at the next two inaugural ceremonies lacks any persuasive value.”