US President Donald Trump will reportedly nominate Amy Coney Barrett, a favorite of social conservatives, to be the new Supreme Court justice.
The president's decision - to be revealed at the White House on Saturday - has been confirmed to the BBC's US partner CBS News and other US media.
She would replace liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died last Friday. The nomination will touch off a bitter Senate fight to get her confirmed as November's presidential election looms.
CBS - citing several sources involved in or familiar with the selection process - reported that the president had settled on Judge Barrett. But when asked about his choice on Friday evening, Trump refused to give anything away: "You'll find out tomorrow. Look, they're all great. It could be any of one them."
If Judge Barrett is confirmed, conservative-leaning justices will hold a 6-3 majority on America's highest court for the foreseeable future.
The 48-year-old would be the third justice appointed by this Republican president, after Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. The Supreme Court's nine justices serve lifetime appointments, and their rulings can shape public policy on everything from gun and voting rights to abortion and campaign finance long after the presidents who appoint them leave office.
In recent years, the court has expanded gay marriage to all 50 states, allowed for Trump's travel ban on mainly Muslim countries to be put in place, and delayed a US plan to cut carbon emissions.
Amy Coney Barrett has been on Donald Trump's shortlist for Supreme Court vacancies for some time, but the word was that she would be the most appropriate replacement for Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
As of last week, that was no longer a hypothetical scenario.
Even before Trump reportedly settled on Judge Barrett as his pick, conservatives were rallying around the nominee, whoever it might be. And if they stick together, as all but two seem to be doing, her confirmation appears assured - whether it's before November's election or in a "lame duck" Senate session afterward.
The choice of Judge Barrett puts Democrats in a tricky position. They have to find a way of undermining support for the nominee without seeming to attack her Catholic faith or personal background - moves that could risk turning off some voters in November. They will seek to delay the proceedings as best they can, while keeping their focus on issues like healthcare and abortion, which could be at the centre of future legal battles with Justice Barrett on a conservative-dominated court.
Then they have to hope Judge Barrett, or the Republicans, make some kind of critical error. It's a tall order, but for the moment it's the only play they have.
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