File photo:Xinhua

US President Donald Trump intends to nominate Judge Amy Coney Barrett to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, multiple US media outlets reported on Friday.

Barrett, 48, is a conservative judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. She was nominated by Trump for the post in 2017 and confirmed by the Senate with a 55-43 bipartisan vote.

A former clerk for the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Barrett quickly emerged as a top contender to fill the seat vacated by Ginsburg, a liberal icon who died last week at the age of 87.

Trump will make the announcement at the White House on Saturday afternoon.

The president successfully appointed two conservatives on the Supreme Court's nine-justice bench, Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, tilting the institution to the right with 5-4 majority. Barrett's confirmation would cement a 6-3 conservative advantage.

US Supreme Court justices, who have life tenure and can serve until they die, resign, retire, or are impeached and removed from office, and play an enormous role in shaping the country's legislation and policies on issues such as abortion, LGBT rights, gun rights, climate change, and presidential powers.

Republicans, who have a 53-47 majority in the Senate, appear to have enough votes to confirm Trump's third Supreme Court pick. Only two Republican senators have said they would not support taking up a nominee prior to the November election.

Democrats oppose moving forward with a vote on Ginsburg's replacement before Election Day, pointing to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's decision in 2016 to block former president Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee because it was an election year, all but ensuring a fierce confirmation battle on Capitol Hill.

McConnell and Senate Republicans have argued that this time is different because the Senate and the White House are held by the same party.

Trump also reportedly considered Barbara Lagoa, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, for the country's highest court.