The U.S. Supreme Court has permitted Alabama to utilize a Republican-friendly congressional map for the upcoming midterm elections, effectively reducing the number of House districts represented by Black Democrats. In an unsigned order, the court allowed the state to override a lower court's decision that had mandated a map with two Black-majority districts. This ruling, which prompted dissents from the court's liberal justices, comes after Alabama's primaries were already held and relies on the Purcell principle, which discourages federal courts from altering election rules close to voting. The decision is seen as a consequence of a recent Supreme Court ruling that heightened the burden of proof for racial discrimination claims under the Voting Rights Act, and it follows previous legal battles over Alabama's redistricting.