Democratic Reps. Terri Sewell (left) and Shomari Figures of Alabama appear at a voting rights rally in May on the steps of the state's Capitol in Montgomery, Ala. Jake Crandall/USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect hide caption

Jake Crandall/USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling this year that further weakened the Voting Rights Act raised the possibility of a record drop in Black representation in Congress.

But a Democratic blue wave in the midterm elections helped forestall such a decline for now.

Most notably, Rep. Shomari Figures, a Black Democrat, won reelection despite Alabama's Republican state leaders making his district far more GOP-leaning after the court's decision.

Black representation in the U.S. House is still slated to decline next year, according to an NPR analysis. The incoming Congress is set to include 60 Black House members, including nonvoting members, down from 63 in the current House.…