President Donald Trump's embattled nominee to the Supreme Court Brett Kavanaugh on Friday cleared a major procedural hurdle on the Senate floor, making him just one step away from being confirmed, amid controversy over sexual abuse allegations against him.

The bitterly divided Senate voted 51-49 to end the debate on nomination of Kavanaugh, 53, who has been nominated by Trump on the nine-member bench of the Supreme Court. If confirmed by the Senate, Kavanaugh would replace Justice Anthony Kennedy who announced his retirement early this year.