The conservative federal judge is just 48 years old and could affect social policy for generations to come if confirmed by the majority-Republican Senate.
The Florida judge has been on the federal bench for just about a year. She became controversial for not recusing herself from a felon voting rights case.
The 48-year-old judge, a possible replacement for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is seen as having a proven conservative track record. Here are her views on faith, precedent, guns and more.
The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg comes just as the Supreme Court was about to hear a case challenging the ACA. It could end Medicaid expansion and protections for preexisting conditions.
Some Democrats are open to packing the Supreme Court in response to what they perceive as an illegitimate court appointment. But the move could cause a "spiral" of retaliation, experts say.
Murkowski is the second Senate Republican to announce that she will not support a vote on a nominee to fill the Supreme Court seat left empty by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The Illinois Democrat, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, told NPR's Weekend Edition he hopes some Republicans decline to fill the Ruth Bader Ginsburg vacancy before the election.
The Vermont Democrat said a vote before Election Day would break with the position Republicans embraced in 2016 when they refused to consider the nomination of Obama nominee Merrick Garland.
Before he chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee, the South Carolina senator said a Supreme Court vacancy shouldn't be filled during an election year. His position has changed.