House Editor David Wasserman writes: A three-judge panel in San Antonio federal court is expected to issue an interim plan for Texas's Congressional districts any day now, and both parties are on the edge of their seat. While the map is only likely to take effect for the 2012 election cycle, its results next November will no doubt impact the approach Texas Republicans take when it comes time to revise the lines to their liking in 2013 (by now, Texas Republicans are accustomed to re-redistricting in years ending in three). Democrats are hoping the San Antonio court grants them three or four new opportunities, while Republicans hope the court will limit Democrats to just one or two.
In all, three or four House seats hang in the partisan balance in the interim map. The current delegation counts 23 Republicans and 9 Democrats. This year's overturned GOP-passed, Perry-signed map would have elected 26 Republicans and 10 Democrats, but a DC court ruled that it used an improper methodology to determine the effectiveness of Latino opportunity seats in both West Texas and
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