NATCHEZ &045; The question of whether elections for justice court and constable seats will be postponed due to delays in preclearance by the federal government will be before a judge again today.

A hearing on the matter is set for 10 a.m. today in Adams County Circuit Court before Circuit Judge Lillie Blackmon Sanders.

&uot;We’re still asking the same thing we asked in the suit &045; for the judge to enjoin the election,&uot; said Tom McNeely, attorney for the Adams County Democratic Executive Committee.

The committee filed suit last month against the board of supervisors to delay elections in those two races unless the U.S. Justice Department preclears the lines by a date set by the Circuit Court.

As of Thursday afternoon, attorneys for the board of supervisors had not received notice of preclearance from the Justice Department.

But Bob Latham, an attorney representing the board of supervisors in this lawsuit, has talked several times with Justice representatives who said preclearance is forthcoming, board attorney Marion Smith said.

As of the 2000 Census, Adams County’s population dropped below 35,000, and under state law counties of fewer than 35,000 people can only have two justice court judges and two constables.

A bill that would have allowed the county to keep three districts &045; Northern, Southern and Southeastern &045; died in a legislative committee earlier this year. But candidates had already qualified to run for office in the Southeastern District.

They will now be listed on the ballot as running in the new Northern or Southern districts, depending on where they live.

Primary elections are set for Aug. 5. However, the deadline for absentee ballots to be printed and received by the circuit clerk is June 23.

And Circuit Clerk M.L. &uot;Binkey&uot; Vines has said a printer will need at least two weeks to print those ballots.

Therefore Democrats, who are running the primary election for the justice court and constable races, said the latest they can have the ballot information sent to the printer is today.