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Early voting is underway and mail ballots have been out for more than a month, but that didn’t stop a judge from holding a hearing today over whether special elections should be held with a newly redrawn congressional map. A decision on whether to hold special elections in newly drawn districts in on the fast burner.

After the state’s congressional map was found unconstitutional in July, lawmakers were ordered to quickly redraw the districts.

Back in Court, Dr. Stephen Ansolabehere, a Harvard redistricting expert said little has changed. “Widening the district in Putnam are the main changes in the district. Otherwise the district is essentially the same.”

For three hours, Judge Terry Lewis was told the maps were the good the bad and the ugly. Fair Districts Attorney David King said disputed Congressional District 5  “still remains bizarrely non compact”

Congressional District 5still snakes from Jacksonville to Orlando. House lAttorney George Meros says the map is necessary to cure past discrimination. “Minority populations, who by virtue of residential discrimination and job discrimination could never elect representatives of their choice.”

The judge gave no indication of where he was leaning. He could order new maps, accept the redrawn map and order a special election,

If the judge were to order a special election, the primary wouldn’t be until March with a General election in May.

Or the judge could to nothing until the next election, which is what Senate Leaders, including Senate Redistricting Chairman Bill Galvano or Bradenton were hoping. “I don’t think the court will try to do something before the 2014 election” galvano told a gaggle of reporters.

Fair Districts Attorney David King who won the original suit, wants new maps and a special election, saying  “They left all the rest of this bizarrely shaped district District 5 in place, and they didn’t want to do anything about that because it protects the Republican performance in District 10.”

Both sides are expected to appeal if they lose

While lawmakers say the map was drawn to protect minority voters, experts testified a second minority district could be created if the map were redrawn.