US President George W Bush has chosen a replacement for outgoing US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, reports say. Mr Bush is expected to name retired federal judge Michael Mukasey as his choice for the post.
Mr Mukasey has presided over a number of high-profile terror trials and is seen as a conservative, analysts say.
Mr Gonzales resigned last month amid accusations that he fired eight lawyers for political reasons and later lied about it - charges he denies.
He officially steps down from his post on Monday.
Although Mr Bush accepted his resignation, he has continued to support Mr Gonzales, saying: "His good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons."
The White House has not confirmed the reports that Mr Mukasey is about to become justice chief.
But a spokeswoman told the Reuters news agency that an announcement was due "soon".
Correspondents say 66-year-old Mr Mukasey, from New York, could be an acceptable choice for both Republicans and Democrats in Congress.
The president's nomination as attorney general must be approved by the Senate.
Poster Comment:
A red diaper baby transplant:
Michael B. Mukasey (born 1941)[1] is an American lawyer, of Russian Jewish origin, who was for 18 years a judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, six of them serving as Chief Judge. According to "two sources familiar with the decision," Press sources suggest that President George W. Bush will nominate Mukasey to serve as the 81st Attorney General of the United States, succeeding Alberto Gonzales.[2]