Brazil’s President Michel Temer has nominated his justice minister to the Supreme Court as it prepares to rule on one the biggest corruption scandals in the country’s history.
The minister, Alexandre de Moraes, is one of Mr Temer’s closest allies.
He replaces Judge Teori Zavascki, who died in a plane crash last month.
There have been calls for a less politically sensitive nomination, as many senior politicians are facing charges in the corruption scandal.
Mr Temer said he had chosen Mr Moraes for his “solid academic credentials”.
The 49-year-old lawyer is a member of the PSDB party, which is part of Mr Temer’s governing coalition.
He joined the cabinet in May, when Mr Temer replaced President Dilma Rousseff, who was facing impeachment proceedings.

Earlier this year, Mr Moraes had to deal with his most serious crisis since taking office, when more than 100 prisoners were killed by fellow inmates in a series of prison riots.

He announced a plan to set up police intelligence units and increase cooperation with neighbouring countries to reduce the power of the gangs that control most Brazilian prisons.