Embattled US President George W. Bush on Monday nominated a conservative appeals court judge, Samuel Alito, to the Supreme Court in a move expected to heal a rift in his Republican party.
In a joint appearance at the White House, Bush called Alito "one of the most accomplished and respected judges in America" and urged the US Senate to hold a confirmation vote by the end of the year - a difficult deadline.
If approved, Alito would replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman named to the highest court in the United States and frequently the deciding vote when the nine justices take up volatile issues like abortion.
The announcement came after one of the toughest weeks of Bush's presidency, with new questions about the case for war in Iraq and a senior aide forced to resign because of criminal charges tied to a CIA leak investigation.
On Tuesday, the US military death toll from the war reached 2,000, and just two days later Bush's previous pick to replace O'Connor, long-time aide Harriet Miers, withdrew amid charges of cronyism and a revolt within the president's Republican party from conservatives who doubted her ideological purity.
Opposition Democrats greeted the new choice skeptically, but lack the Senate seats to defeat it in an up-or-down ballot. They could, however, try to derail the nomination with parliamentary tactics that indefinitely delay a vote.
Alito, 55, is an experienced appeals court judge who was nominated to that post by Bush's father, former president George Bush. He received his law degree from Yale University after graduating from Princeton University.
"As a Justice Department official, federal prosecutor and judge on the United States Court of Appeals, Sam Alito has shown a mastery of the law, a deep commitment of justice, and he is a man of enormous character," he said.
"He has a deep understanding of the proper role of judges in our society. He understands that judges are to interpret the laws, not to impose their preferences or priorities on the people," said Bush.