US Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett has said she is “honoured and humbled” to be President Trump’s pick for a place in the top court during a tense Senate confirmation hearing.

The 48-year-old conservative jurist vowed to judge legal cases impartially. But her selection so close to the 3 November presidential election has sparked a fierce political battle.

The panel’s Republican chairman has predicted a “contentious week” of questioning ahead. Judge Barrett’s approval would cement a 6-3 conservative majority on the nine-member court, altering the ideological balance of the court for potentially decades to come.