Trump Hypes Supreme Court Announcement

WASHINGTON, Feb 1, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 01st Feb, 2017 ) - President Donald Trump was set to announce his nominee to sit on the US Supreme Court Tuesday -- a prime-time choice between two shortlisted finalists with more than a hint of reality tv drama.

Trump's pick to fill the long-vacant ninth position on the bench will likely swing the court in the conservatives' favor -- with significant ramifications for issues from gender rights to gun control.

For the new Republican leader, the selection is part of a tacit election compact with conservatives, some of whom reluctantly backed him after he promised to choose a pro-gun justice. "For 70 percent of the voters, the president's choice for supreme court was an important factor in their choice at the ballot box in November," White House spokesman Sean Spicer acknowledged Tuesday.

The Supreme Court seat has been vacant since the death of Antonin Scalia on February 13, 2016. For the better part of a year, Congressional Republicans refused to give then president Barack Obama's pick a confirmation hearing.

"I have made my decision on who I will nominate for The United States Supreme Court. It will be announced live on Tuesday at 8:00 P.M," Trump tweeted, ramping up the drama for a normally sober occasion.

Trump described his deliberations as a "very big decision" and said the pick was someone "unbelievably highly respected." The Supreme Court is the final arbiter of many of the most sensitive issues of American life and law. Its members, who must be confirmed by the Senate, are named to life terms so their influence is long-lasting.