WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump on Saturday plans to name conservative appellate judge Amy Coney Barrett as his third U.S. Supreme Court appointment, setting off a scramble in the Republican-led Senate to confirm her before Election Day in 5-1/2 weeks.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has made confirming Trump’s judicial nominees a top priority and Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, who mounted an angry defense of Trump’s last high court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, has signaled he expects to have Barrett confirmed as a justice by Nov. 3.
Barrett, 48, was appointed by Trump to the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2017 and is a favorite of religious conservatives, a key Trump voter bloc. Her confirmation to replace liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died at age 87 on Sept. 18, would make Barrett the fifth woman ever to serve on the top U.S. judicial body and push its conservative majority to a commanding 6-3.
Trump plans to formally introduce his nominee at a 5 p.m. (2100 GMT) White House ceremony. Conservative activists hailed Trump’s selection, which surfaced on Friday night, while liberals voiced dismay.