The president's nomination of Republican loyalist Brett Kavanaugh is opposed by Democrats. They say Trump's trying to tilt the nine justices in the highest court in the land towards the conservative right.
Advocacy groups have already begun spending millions of dollars to persuade senators to make the right choice when they vote in the autumn. Their confirmation is expected to shape the Supreme Court for many years to come.
On Inside Story, an in-depth discussion on the rôle of the Supreme Court in the U.S. system.
Presenter: Laura Kyle | Guests: Sandy Levinson, professor of government at the University of Texas Law School; Kenneth Joast, author of the Superme Court Yearbook and legal affiars blog, Jost on Justice; Matthew Mack-o-veeyack, Republican consultant and former aide to President George W Bush
