After hearing oral arguments Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court Justices are considering Texas's complicated and controversial redistricting case.
At issue is whether Latinos and African-Americans who accounted for the vast majority of the state's four million new residents in the 2010 Census have adequate political power.
The Justices struggled with whether the state's plan or maps drawn by federal judges in San Antonio that are friendlier to minorities should take effect, or whether some new effort should be made.
Hanging in the balance are four new congressional seats, which Texas gained after the 2010 Census because of largely Hispanic population growth.
Three of the four new congressional districts favor Republicans.
Besides determining which state legislative and congressional maps should be used to elect political leaders, the timing of the court's decision could also affect whether primary elections can take place on April 3rd as rescheduled.
District 83 State Representative Charles Perry of Lubbock says comments from the Justices leave him with the impression that they are not in a hurry.
"I'm hoping that between now and Friday they'll see the wisdom of going ahead and making some rulings and pushing this ball a little bit further down the field. But early indications are today is the Supreme Court doesn't seem to have a sense of urgency now. and it's their time."
Perry says any further delay could potentially move the primaries to this summer, and that is not what candidates or voters want.
The incumbent District 85 state representative, Jim Landtroop of Plainview, is also waiting to hear when the primary will be. He says campaigning is tough without knowing where the district boundaries will be and who could be running against him.
"It's frustrating, but at the same time you know you have to play with the hand that's dealt you. This is where we're at right now. I'm spending a lot of time campaigning across West Texas and the Panhandle and South Plains. I think that will probably be the majority if not the entirety of my district."
Too see this story plus an extended discussion of the issues surrounding Texas redistricting, click on the video to the right.
