Longtime Friend Of Amy Coney Barrett Says She Is A Perfect Fit For Supreme Court

CHICAGO (CBS) -- President Donald Trump is expected to nominate Chicago Judge Amy Coney Barrett for the nation's highest court.

CBS 2's Jermont Terry spoke with one of Barrett's longtime friends. The friend says politics aside Judge Barrett is the right fit.

Friday night Barrett was either in Washington, D.C. or preparing to fly there for the president's official nomination for the Chicago-based judge to join the United States Supreme Court. Those who know the soon-to-be nominee insist she is a perfect fit.

Orlando Snead is excited to hear his longtime friend is one step closer. Snead has known Barrett for nearly two decades and said she has always been fair.

"If you didn't know which side of a lawsuit you were going to be on you'd want her to be the judge because she would be fair to everybody. She is an unbelievably disciplined woman. She believes to her core that the role of a judge is to interpret the law and not to import one's own personal views," he said.

Multiple sources tell CBS News Barrett is the one President Trump will nominate to fill the seat the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg leaves vacant. Many believe the president is rushing to make an announcement, well before Ginsburg is laid to rest.

Barrett is considered conservative and a favorite of religious conservatives for her anti-abortion views.

Snead insists the timing of her nomination in an election year should not be a factor in getting her approved.

"I just hope people will try to be disciplined and say, 'OK, I'm just going to think of this as another human being. I'm going to listen to what she has to say and see what she says and see what I think.' As opposed to trying to situate her on the terrible polarities we have right now in our culture," Snead said.

The president is expected to make the official announcement Saturday at 5 p.m.

Barrett is a 48-year-old mother of seven.