In the end, the First Amendment prevailed in the case between Phat & Pink and No Phat & Pink Chicks blog authors, Record Searchlight reporter Christy Lochrie and personal blogger Beth Doolittle-Norby, respectively.

But first, Shasta County Superior Court Commissioner Gary Gibson listened patiently for more than three hours to testimony from Lochrie and her former friend, Norby.

Gibson said he denied Lochrie’s request for a restraining order against Doolittle-Norby because Lochrie failed to meet the “clear and convincing” burden of proof required for a restraining order. Gibson denied Doolittle-Norby’s request to have Lochrie pay Doolittle-Norby’s attorney fees.

At one point Gibson described his decision as “borderline” but ultimately, he said there was no overlooking “the fact of the big, fat First Amendment.”

The hearing included winceable testimony that seemed improbable between two professionals; Lochrie, a journalist, and Norby an environmental consultant. Lochie represented herself, while Doolittle was represented by Greg Winters (whom, coincidentally, is married to a journalist).

Some of the hearing included such unsavory details as camel toes, fat suits, fashion violations, betrayal of friends, name-calling and back-stabbing.

It also included more serious matters, such as the Record Searchlight’s online user agreement, a letter from the publisher to a dissenting online commenter’s employer, and the Record Searchlight actually taking steps to learn the identity of some anonymous posters. That’s a whole other potential can of worms.

I’m off for an appointment, so I’ll write more about this later, including Lochrie and Doolittle-Norby’s post-interview quotes.

But I wanted you to be among the first to know. Stay tuned for more.