Trump nominates Judge Amy Coney Barrett to Supreme Court

US President Donald Trump named Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Saturday.

Trump stood alongside Barrett at a White House Rose Garden ceremony to announce his decision, according to an AFP report.

Trump called her “one of the most brilliant and gifted minds” in the legal world.

Trump’s move sets in motion a rush by Republicans to cement a conservative majority on the court on the eve of a tense and potentially disputed US election.

Despite strong opposition from Democrats, he predicted a “very quick” and “straightforward” confirmation in the Republican-led Senate.

If confirmed, Barrett will fill the seat left by the late justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.