WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump plans to announce conservative federal appeals court judge Amy Coney Barrett on Saturday as his Supreme Court nominee, two sources said on Friday, as he moves to shift it further to the right and sets up a heated Senate confirmation fight with Democrats 5-1/2 weeks before the U.S. election.
If confirmed by the Senate, which is controlled by Trump’s fellow Republicans, Barrett would replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal icon who died at age 87 on Sept. 18. Barrett is a favorite of religious conservatives, a key Trump constituency, and he has asked the Senate to confirm her before the Nov. 3 election in which he is seeking a second term and Democrats are aiming to seize control of the chamber.
Barrett, 48, was appointed by Trump to the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of…