What is the abbreviation for the U.S. Supreme Court?

The abbreviation for the U.S. Supreme Court is SCOTUS.

SCOTUS is formed from the initials of “Supreme Court of the United States.” It is widely used by journalists, lawyers, scholars, court-watchers, and government institutions as a concise name for the nation’s highest federal court.

The term is especially common in headlines and legal reporting, where phrases such as “the SCOTUS decision” or “SCOTUS hears arguments” refer to the Court’s rulings and proceedings. It can also distinguish the institution from individual state supreme courts, which may share similar names.

A frequent mix-up is USSC, an abbreviation that appears occasionally but is not the standard nickname. “SCOTUS” identifies the Court itself, while “OTUS” abbreviations can refer to other national offices or institutions—for example, POTUS means President of the United States. The Court’s full formal name remains the Supreme Court of the United States, and its official website uses the domain SupremeCourt.gov.

The abbreviation does not describe the Court’s size or location; it is simply an initialism derived from the institution’s name.