Almost the whole chain of the US justice system is submerged in controversy of some kind. At the front end, there are the enforcers, the police, whose tactics have been the subject of protests since the killing of George Floyd, a black man, in Minnesota last May. At the remote extreme of the system, the Supreme Court is on the verge of a lasting shift to the right, to the anguish of liberal America. In between is the justice department, which Donald Trump’s administration has often politicised to its own ends.
It is in this context that Mr Trump will announce his imminent nomination to the high court. Whether he chooses Amy Coney Barrett, Barbara Lagoa or another from his conservative shortlist, trust in American justice in large parts of the country is precarious. In a dread scenario, the new judge comes to rule on a contested presidential election after polling day in November. The president has already refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power in the event of defeat to Joe Biden.
Mr Trump will ignore the anxieties of his political enemies in making his choice. But the Senate is not obliged to make it easy for him. Given the stakes, this nomination demands special scrutiny from the upper chamber.