PITTSBURGH -- On Wednesday, a federal court judge granted an injunction ordering Pittsburgh Police Lt. Catherine McNeilly to be reinstated to her former rank of commander.

U.S. District Judge Donetta Ambrose found that McNeilly, who was demoted to lieutenant and given a $10,000 pay cut, could likely succeed in her claims that the city violated her rights under the First Amendment and state Whistleblower law.

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Bob Mayo's Blog: Read Excerpts Of The Injunction

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McNeilly said she was improperly disciplined for speaking out against the nomination of former city operations director Dennis Regan for public safety director.

She sent an e-mail about Regan to City Council members, claiming that Regan had tried to interfere with police disciplinary action against an officer who is the brother of Regan's housemate. Attached to the e-mail was a confidential memo.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit, saying the city should be praising McNeilly for pointing out alleged wrongdoing instead of demoting her.

Regan resigned after Mayor Luke Ravenstahl ordered an investigation, but he said he had done nothing wrong.

McNeilly "made a good faith attempt to report wrongdoing" and tried "to express her concerns through her chain of command, but the chain of command had been ineffective in addressing her concerns," Ambrose said.

City attorneys argued that McNeilly was punished for sharing the confidential information, not for blowing the whistle on Regan.

Ambrose rejected that argument, saying that the interest of confidentiality is outweighed by the revelation of "allegations and evidence of wrongdoing and governmental misconduct and concerns that wrongdoers would be placed in high government positions."

McNeilly is set to return to her post starting Thursday.

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