Ruth Bader Ginsburg

The plan has launched a high-stakes battle with far-reaching political consequences ahead of the election.

Mr Trump would replace Ginsburg, a liberal stalwart who died on Friday aged 87, with a conservative.

Approval would cement a right-leaning majority on the court for decades.

The appointment of judges to the Supreme Court is a political decision in which the president chooses who is put forward. The Senate then votes to confirm - or reject - that choice.

Ginsburg died on Friday of metastatic pancreatic cancer at her home in Washington, DC, surrounded by her family, the statement said.

Earlier this year, Ginsburg said she was undergoing chemotherapy for a recurrence of cancer.

She was a prominent feminist who became a figurehead for liberals in the US.

Ginsburg was the oldest sitting justice on the Supreme Court, having served 27 years on the nation's highest court.