No quick decision in Mo. special elections lawsuit

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The will be no immediate decision in a lawsuit seeking to compel Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon to call special elections for vacant legislative seats.

Attorneys involved in the case said a Cole County judge has asked them to agree on a schedule for filing written briefs before hearing any arguments.

Judge Dan Green initially called off a status hearing Monday when no one from the attorney general's office appeared in court on behalf of the governor. But state solicitor Jim Layton later showed up and the judge presided over a scheduling discussion.

The slow pace of the case has frustrated some of the 10 Missouri residents who sued. They contend Nixon is shirking his duties by not setting special elections for three vacant House seats and an empty Senate seat.