Barack Obama to announce Supreme Court pick: White House

Washington: President Barack Obama on Wednesday will announce his pick to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by the death last month of justice Antonin Scalia, a White House statement said.

Obama will make the announcement in the White House Rose Garden at 11:00 am (1500 GMT).

Obama`s choice for the nine-member US high court vacancy is seen as possibly one of the most consequential actions of his presidency, with the potential to tip the balance from majority conservative to liberal.

Republicans in Congress, however, have made it clear that they have no intention of holding hearings to vet any Supreme Court nominee put forward by Obama, insisting that with less than a year remaining in office, the nomination should be made by his successor in the White House.

Supreme Court justices are appointed for life and the body`s rulings can powerfully influence the treatment of major social issues in America.

Scalia, 79, the intellectual leader of the court`s conservative faction, died unexpectedly of natural causes on February 13.