President Donald Trump has nominated Colorado federal appeals court judge Neil Gorsuch for the US Supreme Court.
If confirmed by the Senate, the 49-year-old would replace the vacancy left on the court by the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
The upper chamber’s Democratic leader has already said he has “very serious doubts” about the nominee.
The court has the last legal word on many of the most sensitive US issues, from abortion to gender to gun control.
Mr Trump said Judge Gorsuch had a “superb intellect, an unparalleled legal education, and a commitment to interpreting the Constitution according to text”.
“Judge Gorsuch has outstanding legal skills, a brilliant mind, tremendous discipline, and has earned bipartisan support,” Mr Trump added.
The announcement was made in the East Room of the White House in a primetime address on Tuesday evening.
