Reports: Trump to nominate Amy Coney Barrett to fill vacant Supreme Court seat

President Trump is reportedly planning to announce that he will nominate Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the U.S. Supreme Court seat left vacant by Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who passed away one week ago.

Multiple news outlets reported the news on Friday, citing unnamed sources who said Trump would announce the pick on Saturday, although the plans could still change.

The choice is not at all unexpected: Barrett is a notable conservative, a protégé of Justice Antonin Scalia, and widely seen as a front-runner. Trump had said earlier this week that he wanted to nominate a woman to replace Ginsburg.

A Trump-appointed circuit judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the 48-year-old Barrett has been criticized by pro-choice advocates for her judicial record on reproductive rights.

Trump will reportedly move to try to secure her seat on the nine-member court before the election in November. With Republicans controlling the Senate, Democrats appear to have few options for blocking the process.