Unsettled Texas primary may slip into May or later

SAN ANTONIO — A panel of federal judges is demanding compromise on Texas voting maps that have all but sunk the chances of the state holding an April primary.

The three judges on Wednesday are expecting the Texas attorney general's office and minority rights groups to submit an agreed-upon state Senate map for the 2012 elections. Deep divisions have held up new legislative and congressional maps in Texas since last summer.

U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia on Tuesday ended a daylong hearing by sternly ordering both sides to hammer out a deal last night.

Yet any new compromise isn't likely to save an April primary. The judges seemed to acknowledge Tuesday that any primary date earlier than May would be almost impossible at this point.