Conservative judge Brett Kavanaugh has been confirmed as the next US Supreme Court justice, as protesters vented their rage on the steps of the US Capitol.
The months-long battle over the nomination of Mr Kavanaugh, who has weathered accusations of sexual assault, has roiled Americans' passions - and placed President Donald Trump at the threshold of one of the biggest victories of his presidency.
The Senate confirmed Mr Kavanaugh by a narrow margin of 50-48.
harrowing testimony from a woman who says Mr Kavanaugh tried to rape her when they were teenagers - and by his fiery rebuttal.
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
AAP
But the Mr Kavanaugh spectacle, fueled by extraordinary accusations and counter-claims in nationally televised hearings, and tense battles over an 11th-hour FBI investigation to address the assault allegations, has inflamed political passions.
'Shame!'
Hours before the vote, more than 1,000 protesters, mostly women, broke through barricades and staged a raucous sit-in protest on the US Capitol steps, just feet away from the imposing doors to the Rotunda.
As protesters chanted "Shame!" and "November is coming!" police took several dozen protesters down the steps and put them in plastic flex-cuffs.
Protestors storm the East Front steps of the US Capitol before the US Senate votes on the confirmation.
AP
