President Donald Trump has nominated Colorado federal appeals court judge Neil Gorsuch for the US Supreme Court.
If confirmed by the Senate, the 49-year-old would replace the vacancy left on the court by the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
The upper chamber's Democratic leader has already said he has "very serious doubts" about the nominee.
The court has the last legal word on many of the most sensitive US issues, from abortion to gender to gun control.
Mr Trump said Judge Gorsuch had a "superb intellect, an unparalleled legal education, and a commitment to interpreting the Constitution according to text".
"Judge Gorsuch has outstanding legal skills, a brilliant mind, tremendous discipline, and has earned bipartisan support," Mr Trump added.
The announcement was made in the East Room of the White House in a primetime address on Tuesday evening.
Protests against Mr Trump's choice were held outside the Supreme Court following the announcement.
In accepting the nomination, Judge Gorsuch said: "I am honoured and I am humbled."
He was picked out of a shortlist of 21 possible choices that Mr Trump made public during the election campaign.
The Ivy-League educated jurist has the potential to restore the 5-4 conservative majority on the nine-seat high court.
The youngest Supreme Court pick in a quarter of a century, he is not expected to call into question high-profile rulings on abortion and gay marriage.
He is an "originalist", meaning he believes the US Constitution should be followed as the Founding Fathers intended.
However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer suggested Judge Gorsuch may be outside the legal mainstream.
"Give his record, I have very serious doubts about Judge Gorsuch's ability to meet this standard," Senator Schumer added.
But Vice-President Mike Pence tweeted the nominee was "one of the most mainstream, respected, and exceptionally qualified Supreme Court nominees in American history".
The highest court in the US is often the ultimate arbiter on highly contentious laws, disputes between states and the federal government, and final appeals to stay executions.
It hears fewer than 100 cases a year and the key announcements are made in June.
Each of the nine justices serves a lifetime appointment after being nominated by the president and approved by the Senate.
The court already has cases this term on the rights of transgender students, gerrymandered voting districts and on the Texas death penalty determination.
It is also likely the court will hear cases on voter rights, abortion, racial bias in policing and US immigration policy, and possibly on Mr Trump's controversial executive order banning refugees.
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