Former One Nation senator Rod Culleton had a minor victory in the High Court, when it was declared he was to be referred to as "Senator Culleton" for the duration of the day's proceedings.
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It was his only one.
Still wearing his Australian Senator pin on his ubiquitous cornflower blue suit jacket, a shade which has become synonymous with his many court appearances, Mr Culleton looked stunned when Justice Stephen Gageler dismissed his summons to remain a senator, with its privileges, allowances and support, while the legal system worked out whether he was ever eligible to stand.
Those battles, including bankruptcy and whether a larceny conviction, later annulled, precluded his inclusion on the West Australian senate ticket, are on-going.
But with a few short words, Justice Gageler dismissed Mr Culleton's petition to the High Court, sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns, to overrule the Senate's decree, issued through President Stephen Parry, to eject him from the chamber while the court proceedings continued.
Mr Culleton, through his barrister, argued Senator Parry and Attorney-General George Brandis had over-stepped when they issued the letter ejecting him from office, by assuming his seat was vacant, when the legal proceedings had yet to run their course.
But the Commonwealth argued it was not an issue for the court, and the Senate President was within his rights to make the decision.
After taking about four hours to deliberate, a timeframe slightly extended following "Power Point issues", saw the lights flicked off, just moments before Justice Gageler extinguished Mr Culleton's hopes for a victory.
He had looked to the ceiling as the room descended into momentary darkness, bemused and relaxed following banter with his legal team about the origins of QCs and how barristers were once paid in tips. He could look nowhere but Justice Gageler as he uttered the words announcing the court was dismissing the summons, handing down the judgment in written form.
The court was asked to stand just moments later. Mr Culleton still looked shocked, having seemed confident until the very last moment. He was also ordered to pay his own costs in regards to the summons.
Usually quick to talk to the media, Mr Culleton remained inside the court for more than an hour after the judgment, making phone calls and talking to his loyal chief of staff, Margaret Menzel.
But by the time he emerged, he had rallied, claiming a victory in Justice Gageler's decision to refer to him as "Senator Culleton" for the proceedings, and extending it to outside the court, declaring he was still a senator and would take his seat in the upper chamber when Parliament resumes on February 7.
"They are saying I am still a senator, I am still a senator. Until a court comes down with an order, I am still a senator. There is no constitutional breach until it comes down the court, Senator Parry doesn't have the power to do that," he said.
"Where does he gain the power to do that? He's not above the law, it has to go to the courts, there is a separation of power. Until the full court - well, we have two full benches, we have the full bench of the Federal Court, and the full bench of the High Court.
". . . Until a court order comes down and tells me so, I am still a senator and while I have got superior decision-makers referring to me as senator in the court, I have to take that on board too."
But Mr Culleton said he was a "law-abiding citizen" and if barred from entering the chamber, he would respect the decision.
While the full bench is still to hand down its judgment on his eligibility to have been named on the ticket in the first place, Mr Culleton is not finished with the courts for this week, having to rush back to Perth to appear for another matter being heard early Wednesday morning.
