as deadlines loom for electors to be selected in florida, the attention of the nation is focused on washington and the decision still pending from the nine justices of the u.s. supreme court.
as usual, there's no indication when the high court will issue its ruling, but with the presidency at stake and time running out, many expect a quick decision.
lawyers for governor george w. bush want the court to strike down a florida supreme court decision that allowed manual recounts of disputed ballots across the state.
if the court decides to stop the recounts, the vice president is effectively out of options and may have to concede the election.
 meanwhile, the republican controlled florida house of representatives is likely to vote tuesday on a resolution approving its own slate of electors to the electoral college, one that will be pledged to governor bush.
the state justices are being asked to overturn lower court rulings that allow up to 25,000 absentee ballots be included in the state count, those ballots from seminole and martin counties .
tuesday is also the day states certify their election results, and the slates of electors who will meet and cost ballots when the electoral college meets on the electors can be certified after tuesday, but they'll be open to challenge by the congress if the election is still in dispute.
normally, the candidate who wins the popular vote in a state wins the vote of the electors, though some states let electors vote their conscience.
  as the electoral count currently stands, gore has 267, bush, 246.
that means the candidate who wins florida's 25 electoral votes will gain enough to become president.