Who will succeed Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court?
And when?
Determined to anchor this institution in the conservative camp before the presidential election, Donald Trump refined his choice on Sunday.
Even if it means being accused by the Democrats of bypassing the voters.
The campaign has hardened considerably since the death of the magistrate and progressive icon on Friday due to the enormous stakes for the future of the country.
The Republican president, who hopes to win a second term on November 3, announced the day after his death that he would appoint a new judge "very quickly".
"She will be a very talented, very brilliant woman," he promised during a meeting.
"Assign your seat," chanted his supporters, galvanized at the prospect of having a clear majority of Supreme Court judges sharing their values on abortion, the right to bear arms or even religious freedoms.
Who are the favorites?
Donald Trump "has tightened the list" of candidates and will "very quickly" make his choice known, Marc Short, Chief of Staff to Vice President Mike Pence, said on CNN Sunday.
Two names are circulating with insistence to join the eight judges of the high court.
VIDEO. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an American heroine and feminist icon
Already approached for a previous post at the Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett, is once again a favorite.
This 48-year-old lawyer has a long academic career in a Catholic university and more limited experience as a judge.
She is renowned for her articles on legal doctrine, in which she professes opinions largely influenced, according to her detractors, by her traditionalist religious values.
A magistrate of Cuban origin Barbara Lagoa, 52, also seems well placed.
A former Florida Supreme Court judge, she now practices in a federal appeals court in Atlanta.
It has the advantage of coming from a key state, likely to influence the outcome of the presidential election.
What are the criticisms leveled at the Republicans?
Once Donald Trump has made his choice known, he will return to the Senate, where Republicans have a majority of 53 out of 100, to confirm it.
Their leader Mitch McConnell has already said he would organize a vote, after he refused to do so for a candidate put forward by Democratic President Barack Obama in 2016, on the grounds that the poll was too close.
Democrats strongly criticized him for this turnaround.
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“It looks like Senator McConnell has lost his faith in the judgment of Americans and wants to rush to get the seat on the court, just like the president.
They just want to maximize their power, ”criticized former Democratic President Bill Clinton on CNN, calling him“ hypocrisy ”.
If four Republicans defect, Donald Trump's candidate will be blocked.
However, two Republican senators have already distanced themselves from the party.
For Susan Collins, a moderate Republican, the Senate should not confirm a new judge before the ballot, "out of honesty towards the American people".
Lisa Murkowski confirmed for her part that she would not vote before the presidential election on November 3, contrary to the injunctions of Donald Trump.
What are the Democrats going to do?
As soon as Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death was announced, millions of dollars were raised by progressive groups who plan to run targeted campaigns to influence the outcome of the vote.
Democrats don't have many legal weapons to prevent this appointment, however.
Asked about this on ABC, their leader in Congress, Nancy Pelosi, assured to have "strings to its bow", without wanting to give details.
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"The stakes are huge," she said, stressing that the Supreme Court is notably supposed to rule in the coming months on the future of the so-called Obamacare health insurance reform, which has extended coverage. diseases of millions of Americans but which Republicans want to dismantle.
“I think you have to stay very calm,” she continued.
And above all, she added, “everyone must go and vote”.
Left-wing voters who converged on the Supreme Court to pay tribute to Judge RBG on Saturday appear to have received the message.
“We have a lot of fights to fight in the next 45 days,” said Kiley Boland, 25.
“It's our responsibility!
"