On August 3, 2009, Judge Patel awarded $3,738,864.96 in attorney's fees and costs to the plaintiffs.

In her ruling this week, Judge Patel disagreed, saying that the suit was about free speech and not national security.

Yet even if Judge Patel's ruling is eventually upheld, it won't make much difference.

This narrowed issue was then returned to Judge Patel.

Last week, a federal appeals court affirmed much of Judge Patel's ruling but ordered her to narrow its scope.

On this matter, Judge Patel's ruling left some room for interpretation, according to legal experts.

Until February, when Judge Patel ordered women and members of minority groups hired, there had never been a female firefighter in the department.

As Judge Patel wrote today, the landscape surrounding the case has been changing in recent months.

"The purpose of today is not if, but what - what the injunction should look like," Judge Patel said.

The appeals court, however, diverged from Judge Patel's ruling on several points.