United States President George W. Bush nominated conservative judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court Monday, in a move likely to set off a partisan battle with Democrats as he tries to right his struggling presidency.

Bush acted quickly to find a replacement nominee for the lifetime appointment on the highest US court after loyalist Harriet Miers withdrew from consideration on Thursday under fierce attack from conservatives within Bush's Republican Party that questioned her credentials.

Bush, appearing with Alito in the White House, listed the judge's lengthy resume and called Alito a "thoughtful judge who considers the legal merits carefully and applies the law in a principled fashion."

"I'm confident that the United States Senate will be impressed by Judge Alito's distinguished record, his measured judicial temperament, and his tremendous personal integrity," Bush said.

He called on the Senate to act promptly and vote on him by the end of the year, a timetable that could prove difficult.

Alito, 55, is considered a conservative in the mould of Justice Antonin Scalia. Alito is sometimes given the nickname "Scalito" - a comparison to Scalia, who shares his Italian heritage as well as his reputation for conservatism and a strong intellect. He is a judge on the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia.

The choice, which would replace the retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, is bound to trigger a fight from Senate Democrats that want to see O'Connor replaced by a moderate justice like her.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said he was disappointed with the choice and that the Senate, which must confirm the pick, will now have to determine whether Alito is "too radical for the American people."

"I look forward to meeting Judge Alito and learning why those who want to pack the court with judicial activists are so much more enthusiastic about him than they were about Harriet Miers," Reid said.

Source: China Daily