Lawsuits are disputes, and judges only issue opinions when two parties to a dispute disagree on a particular legal question. This means that legal opinions focus on resolving the parties’ very specific disagreement.
The lawyers, not the judges, take the lead role in framing the issues raised by a case. The best lawyers are highly skilled at identifying and articulating their arguments to the court.
In an appeal, for example, the lawyer for the appellant will articulate specific ways in which the lower court was wrong. The appellate court will then look at those arguments and either agree or disagree.