Emotions ran high among the journalists, lawyers and activists who sat silently as Antoinette Lattouf won her illegal sacking case against the ABC, which could ultimately cost the public broadcaster more than $1.5 million in costs and penalties.

The courtroom on the 18th floor of the Federal Court building on Sydney’s Phillip Street overflowed with onlookers crammed onto window sills, against the walls and bursting out into the hallway.