Donald Trump has stated that he's narrowed his favourites for the US Supreme Court spot to five candidates. He said in an interview with Fox News that the candidate would be announced on Friday or Saturday.
Prior to this, Trump named Amy Coney Barrett of the Chicago-based 7th Circuit and Barbara Lagoa of the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit as possible nominees.
The US president has also responded to Senator Susan Collins’ call that he wait until after the November election to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
"I totally disagree with her, we have an obligation, we won, and we have an obligation as the winners to pick who we want. That’s not the next president," Trump said, adding "hopefully I’ll be the next president." Trump explained that the obligation that he has concerns all US voters who support him.
US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has also called for Trump to wait until after the November election, saying that the American people have already started voting and that appointing a new Supreme Court justice now would be an "abuse of power".
On 18 September, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer, at the age of 87, at her home in Washington.
