this is bbc news. us president donald trump is all set to announce his nomination for the us supreme court. it's widely expected the president — seeking to bolster a right—leaning court — will pick conservative federal judge amy coney barrett. she left her home with her family earlier she will replace liberal justice ruth bader ginsburg, who died last friday — the announcement will touch off a bitter senate fight to get trump's pick confirmed as november's presidential election looms. we'll bring the announcement live from the white house and have reaction and analysis to the developments.

hello and welcome to bbc world news. president trump is about to unveil his supreme court nominee. it comes barely five weeks from the presidential election of november 3rd. it's widely expected that his choice for the job is conservative judge amy coney barrett. if the 48—year—old law professor is indeed nominated and confirmed, her lifetime appointment would consolidate a conservative majority in the country's top court, possibly for decades to come. this is the scene at the white house where the president will make the announcement. it is difficult to understate the significance of these moments, not only ina significance of these moments, not only in a donald trump presidency but really in the future direction of the us as a whole. the supreme court makes decisions on a range of

issues that affects every single american and we will be live in the white house waiting, as you can see, for donald trump to appear. as soon as it does appear, we will waste no time at all and bring you straight to his comments. first, to bring us up to his comments. first, to bring us up to speed with where we are, how we got here, here is our north american editor, john sobel. unknown outside conservative legal circles, amy coney barrett made today the journey to washington with her family, a journey that will take from obscurity to unsparing national prominence at this most tumultuous time. when rees bedded ginsburg died, von donald trump vowed he would replace her with a woman but thatis would replace her with a woman but that is all they have in common. justice ginsburg devoted herself to liberal causes but amy is a devout catholic opposed to abortion. liberal causes but amy is a devout catholic opposed to abortionlj liberal causes but amy is a devout catholic opposed to abortion. i see no conflict between having a sincerely held faith in duties as a

judge. thousands have paid their respects to rees bedded ginsburg these past few days. the supreme court plays a critical role in american life, deciding on the most contentious issues, like abortion, immigration, lgbt rights and galore. and if amy coney barrett is confirmed, the court have a decisive conservative majority. but there was bitter opposition to. this is how donald trump was greeted when he went to visit the coffin... we entrap the report to bring you live pictures. the present —— the president donald trump is about to make his announcement so let's listen in there to the event live in washington.

thank you very much. thank you. thank you very much. thank you. thank you. i stand before you today to fulfil one of my highest and most important duties under the united states constitution, the nomination ofa

states constitution, the nomination of a supreme courtjustice. this is my third such nomination, after justice gore search and justice kavanagh. and it is a very proud moment indeed. over the past week, oui’ moment indeed. over the past week, our nation has more to the loss of a true american legend, justice ruth bader ginsburg was a legal giant and a pioneerfor women. her extraordinary life and legacy will inspire americans for generations to come. now, we gather in the rose garden to continue our never—ending task of ensuring equaljustice and preserving the impartial rule of law. today, it is my honour to nominate one of our nation's most brilliant and gifted legal minds to

the supreme court. she is a woman of unparalleled achievement, towering intellect, sterling credentials, and unyielding loyalty to the constitution, judge amy coney barrett. we are alsojoined we are also joined by amy's husband jesse. thank you, jesse, very much, and their seven beautiful children. congratulations to you all. a very

special day. with us as well are the first lady, thank you, first lady. along with vice president mike pence, and his amazing wife karen. thank you very much. judge barrett isa thank you very much. judge barrett is a graduate of rhodes college and the university of notre dame law school. at notre dame, she earned a full academic scholarship, served as the executive editor of the law review, graduated first in her class, and received the law school's award for the rest —— best record of scholarship and achievement. upon graduation, she became a clerk for judge lawrence silverman, on the us court of appeals for the district of columbia. amy then received one of the highest honours a young lawyer could have, serving as a clerk on

the supreme court for justice antonin scalia. a very highly respected law professor at notre dame wrote to the justice with a one sentence recommendation, amy coney barrett is the best student i ever had. that is the best student i ever had. that is the best student i ever had. that is the best —— that is pretty good. justice scalia hired her shortly after and we are honoured to have his wonderful wife maureen. where is maureen? she is with us today. and oui’ maureen? she is with us today. and our great secretary of labour, thank you very much. very good genes in that family, i will say. before

joining the bent, judge amy coney barrett spent years as a professor at notre dame law school. she was renowned for her scholarship, celebrated by her colleagues and beloved by her students. three times she was selected at notre dame, distinguished professor of the year. when i nominated thejudge to... in 2017, every law clerk from her time at the supreme court endorsed her and endorsed her nomination, writing, we are democrats, republicans and independents, yet we write to support the nomination of professor barrett to be a circuit judge. professor barrett is a woman is remarkable intellect, and character. she is eminently qualified for thejob. character. she is eminently qualified for the job. and character. she is eminently qualified for thejob. and i can tell you, i did that too. i looked andi tell you, i did that too. i looked and i studied, and —— and you are very eminently qualified for this

job, you are going to be fantastic. thank you. really fantastic. the entire notre dame law facility and faculty, everybody, everybody at that school also, i got so many letters, also wrote letters of support but amy's nomination to the seventh circuit. they wrote, in effect, despite our differences, we unanimously agree that our constitutional system depends upon an independentjudiciary constitutional system depends upon an independent judiciary staffed constitutional system depends upon an independentjudiciary staffed by talented people, devoted to the fair and impartial administration of the rule of law, and we unanimously agree that amy is such a person. for the last three years, judge barrett has served with immense distinction on the federal bench. amy is more than a stellar scholar and judge, she is also a profoundly devoted mother, herfamily she is also a profoundly devoted mother, her family is a she is also a profoundly devoted mother, herfamily is a core part of

who amy is. she opened her home and her heart and adapted to beautiful children from haiti. her incredible bond with her youngest child, a son with down syndrome, is a true inspiration. if confirmed, justice barrett will make history as the first mother of school—aged children ever to serve on the us supreme court. that is good. to her children, emma, vivian, tess, john peter, liam, juliet, and benjamin, thank you for sharing your

incredible mum with our country. thank you very much. amy coney barrett will decide cases based on the text of the constitution, as written. as amy has said, being a judge takes courage, you are not there to decide cases as you may prefer, you are there to do your duty and to follow the law, where ever it may take you. that is exactly whatjudge barrett will do on the us supreme court. i want to thank the members of the senate, we have so many of them here today, thank you very much, i see you in the audience and you are so proud. but i want to thank you for your commitment and to providing a fair and timely hearing. i know it will be that. judge barrett was confirmed to the circuit court three years ago

bya to the circuit court three years ago by a partisan vote, her qualifications are unsurpassed, unsurpassed, and her record is beyond reproach. this should be a straightforward and prompt confirmation. it should be very easy. good luck. it is going to be very quick. i'm sure it will be extremely noncontroversial. we said that the last time, didn't we? well, thank you all very much, and thank you for being here. thank you. i further urge all members of the other side of the aisle to provide judge barrett with the respectful and dignified hearing that she deserves, and frankly that our country deserves. i urge lawmakers and members of the media to refrain from personal or partisan attacks and the stakes for our country are incredibly high. rulings at the supreme court will issue in the coming years will decide the

survival of our second amendment, oui’ survival of our second amendment, our religious liberty, our public safety, and so much more. to maintain security, liberty and prosperity, we must preserve our priceless heritage of a nation of laws, and there is no one better to do that than amy —— amy coney barrett. law and order is the foundation of the american system of justice, no matter the issue, no matter the case before her, i am supremely confident thatjudge barrett will issue rulings based solely upon a fair reading of the law. she will defend the sacred principle of equaljustice for citizens of every race, colour, religion and creed. congratulations again tojudge barrett. i know that you will make our country very, very proud. please, amy, say a few words. thank you very much.

congratulations. congratulations. thank you. thank you very much, mr president. i am deeply honoured by the confidence that you have placed in me. i am so grateful to you and the first lady, to the vice president and the second lady, and to so many others here for your kindness on this rather overwhelming occasion. i fully understand that this is a momentous decision for a president, and if the senate does the honour of confirming me, i pledge to discharge the responsibilities of this job to the very best of my ability. i love the united states and i love the united

states constitution. i am truly... i am truly humbled by the prospect of serving on the supreme court. should ibe serving on the supreme court. should i be concerned, i will be mindful of who came before me. the flag of the united states is still flying at half staff in memory ofjustice ruth bader ginsburg to mark the end of a great american life. justice ginsburg began her career at a time when women were not welcome in that legal profession. but she not only broke glass ceilings, she smashed them. for that, she broke glass ceilings, she smashed them. forthat, she has won the admiration of women across the country and indeed all over the world. she was a woman of enormous

tale nt world. she was a woman of enormous talent and consequence, and her life of public service serves as an example to us all. particularly poignant to me was how long and deep friendship withjustice poignant to me was how long and deep friendship with justice antonin scalia, my own mentor. justices scalia, my own mentor. justices scalia and ginsburg disagreed fiercely in print without rancour in person. their ability to maintain a warm and rich friendship, despite their differences, even inspired an opera. these two great americans demonstrated that arguments, even about matters of great consequence, it need not destroy affection. in both my personal and professional relationships, i strive to meet that standard. i was lucky enough to clerk forjustice scalia. and given his incalculable influence on my life, i his incalculable influence on my life, lam his incalculable influence on my life, i am very moved to have members of the scalia family here

today, including his dear wife maureen. i clerked forjustice scalia many —— more than 20 years ago, but the lessons i learned still resonate. hisjudicial philosophy is mine too. ajudge must apply the law as written. judges are not policymakers, and they must be resolute in setting aside any policy views they might hold. the president has asked me to become the ninth justice. and as it happens, i'm to being ina justice. and as it happens, i'm to being in a group of nine, my family. ourfamily being in a group of nine, my family. our family includes me, my husband jesse, emma, vivian, tess, john peter, liam, juliet and benjamin. vivian and john peter, as the president said, were born in haiti, and they came to us five years apart when they were very young. and the

most revealing fact that benjamin, out most revealing fact that benjamin, our youngest, is that his brothers and sisters unreservedly identify him as their favourite sibling. our children obviously make our lives to refill. while i am a judge, i am better known back home as a room parent, carpal driver and birthday party planner. when schools went when it went last spring, i tried on another hat, we became principles of the barrett e—learning academy. and the barrett e—learning academy. and the list of enrolled students was a very long one. our children are my greatest joy, even though they deprive me of any reasonable amount of sleep. i couldn't manage this very full life without the unwavering support of my husband jesse. at the start of our marriage, iimagined we jesse. at the start of our marriage, i imagined we would run our household as partners. as it has turned out, jesse does far more than his share of the work. to my chagrin, i learned at dinner re ce ntly chagrin, i learned at dinner

recently that my children consider him to be the better cook. for 21 years, jessie has asked me every single morning what he can do for me that day. and though i almost always say, nothing, he still finds ways to ta ke say, nothing, he still finds ways to take things off my plate. and that is not because he has a lot of free time, he has a busy law practice, it is because he's a and generous husband and i am very fortunate. jesse and i have a life full of relationships, not only with our children, but with siblings, friends, and fearless baby—sitters, one of home is with us today, i am particularly grateful to my parents, mike and linda kony. i spent the bulk, i have spent the bulk of my

aduu bulk, i have spent the bulk of my adult hood as a midwesterner, but i grew up in their new orleans home, and as my brother and sisters can also attest, mum and dad's generosity extends not only to us but to more people than any of us could count. they are an inspiration. it is important, at any moment like this, to acknowledge family and friends. but this evening, i also want to acknowledge you, my fellow americans. the president has nominated me to serve on the united states supreme court and that institution belongs to all of us. if confirmed, i would not assume that role for the sake of those in my own circle, and certainly not for my own sake. i would assume this role to serve you. i would discharge the judicial oath, which requires me to administer justice without respect to persons,

to equal rights to the poor and rich, and faithfully and impartially discharge my duties under the united states constitution. i have no illusions that the road ahead of me will be easy, either for the short term or the long haul. i never imagined that i would find myself in this position. but now that i am, i assure you that i will meet the challenge with both humility and courage. members of the united states senate, i look forward to working with you during the confirmation process, and i will do my very best to demonstrate that i am worthy of your support. thank you.

come on up, family. i want to acknowledge bill, chief of staff, thank you very much, you are doing a great job, thank you very much, you are doing a greatjob, and thank you very much, you are doing a great job, and all of thank you very much, you are doing a greatjob, and all of the senators, please, we really appreciated, and i know you will have a busy couple of weeks. i think it will be easier than you might think. so, thank you very much for being here, thank you all, thank you all very much. thank you. congratulations, amy. so, there we have it, there scenes live in washington, potentially a hugely significant moment in the united states, at the decision by president donald trump that could

shape the supreme court and therefore the lives of americans for a generation to come. his choice, amy coney barrett, as we heard from her, she signed off by saying, i love the united states constitution, and promised to uphold that, and she said she was mindful of who came before me, a great american life, paying tribute to ruth bader ginsburg. right, we will now cross live to our north american editor john sobel who is at the white house. so, hugely significant moment, john? yes, it is, and donald trump is now pointing his third supreme courtjustice trump is now pointing his third supreme court justice in trump is now pointing his third supreme courtjustice in his first term, and if you want to find back in history where a first—time president has appointed three supreme courtjustices, president has appointed three supreme court justices, you president has appointed three supreme courtjustices, you have to go back over 50 years to president eisenhower. so, hugely significant, and this is exactly what conservatives want it, they might not have liked everything about donald trump or what he stands for but his promised to deliver a

conservative court has been repaid handsomely. two justices have already been appointed and he believes he's got the vote to get amy coney barrett onto the supreme court, perhaps before november that that was my collection. what i thought was interesting, both amy and donald trump they're trying to tease out the nature of the role as impartial. donald trump saying at one point thejob on impartial. donald trump saying at one point the job on the court is to follow the law, wherever that may ta ke follow the law, wherever that may take you. trying to nip in the bud the suggestion of personal and private prejudices coming to the fore. well, of course, to visit a public ceremony like this, you're not going to say something i'm only going to rule for one section of america. they will be controversial issues that will come up. she is a conservative jurist, issues that will come up. she is a conservativejurist, her issues that will come up. she is a conservative jurist, her views on a number of matters are well known, she has expressed them in legal opinions that she has given. it will ta ke opinions that she has given. it will take the court in a much more

conservative direction. and, remember, that in the united states, the supreme court rules on all the key issues, abortion, lgbt rights, immigration, gun law, and, and, the election in november, if it is contested, and it is hard to see that it won't be. donald trump has been very equivocal answers on whether he will accept the results come november, so if he doesn't, and if there is a legal wrangle, who sorts it out? the supreme court. hugely significant. what other kind of issues, john, does the supreme court rule on? for viewers around the world, in their own countries largely, the role of the court, certainly you can see an appointment in front of the presidential house for it, it is largely quiet, much more private, what kind of evidence that the supreme court have?m more private, what kind of evidence that the supreme court have? it is a massive influence because anything

thatis massive influence because anything that is challenged, you get a law through congress, and you've got a written constitution in the us and someone says written constitution in the us and someone says well i think that is unconstitutional, appeals go on and eventually they find their way to the supreme court, and they will look back at past law and they will look back at past law and they will look back at the constitution of the founding fathers intended, and they will reel. if you were to ask me, how many british supreme court justices could you name? i'm from britain, i probably couldn't name any. here, i put up name all of them. they play such a pivotal role in american life. from stomach security, amy coney barrett has now been propelled into the front line what is an increasingly divided society where people are expected to rule on liberal lines are conservative lines and she has got to navigate her way to staying true to navigate her way to staying true to the law. i thought it was interesting what she was saying in there, this philosophy of original as it is called, i am of the

policymaker, emma not there to interpret the law, i am there to say what the law says and act accordingly. —— i am not there to reinterpret the law. good to talk to you. thank you. jim hobart is a veteran republican pollster, and partner with public opinion strategies political consulting firm. it is not a surprise, this announcement, is it? it was trailed 24 announcement, is it? it was trailed 2a hours ago. despite the fact that it was not a surprise, it still feels like a very big moment, potentially, in american history. certainly, especially given it is happening so close to the election, we arejust happening so close to the election, we are just under five weeks away, and it is something of a tram campaign is certainly hoping going to bea campaign is certainly hoping going to be a pivotal moment for them. -- trump campaign. to cut through the next stage. this goes to, for

viewers around the world not au fait with the intricacies of how this works, president trump has made his nomination, what happens now? next, they will try to make very, very quickly to confirm her. that is the way it works. the president nominate someone way it works. the president nominate someone and it is up to the senate to confirm, and they will all vote whether to confirm her or not, all 100 of them. due to 60 votes to confirm justice but now it is only 50, and it is likely she will be confirmed. it is not like democrats and liberals are critics of her have anywhere to go, really, it looks like it is a done deal. white. it is very, very, again, without the 60 vote threshold, it is much easier to confirm a supreme courtjustice than it was a number of years ago. that is useful to get that all clear. i wa nt to is useful to get that all clear. i want to touch into your area of

expertise now, specifically the election, how does it all play into the election, do you think? the hope for the trump the election, do you think? the hope forthe trump campaign the election, do you think? the hope for the trump campaign is that it will, one, fire up the conservative face will, one, fire up the conservative fa ce eve n will, one, fire up the conservative face even more than they already are. i think we will have record—breaking turnouts in the united states and a selection in the hope is that even more conservatives will come out about now. from the democratic perspective, they are hoping this will turn more the focus on the affordable care act, and overturning roe versus wade. i think both parties see some potential on this issue for how it could affect things and how it could potentially help. there was one comment but to me which was, bear with me, but basically, if you have this goes through before the election, you may have many republicans who held their nose and voted for donald trump last time and think,