What does 'SCOTUS' mean? Here's a brief rundown on the country's highest court.

Olivia Munson, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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Sometimes, we have a lot we want to say, but don't always have the time, or character count, to do so. Acronyms, initialisms and slang help shorten our conversations.

This also applies to government and politics. If you're getting your license updated, you're might head to the "DMV." And did you see what the "POTUS" said during the last State of the Union address?

Maybe you've seen news headlines or social media posts about "SCOTUS," and didn't know what the term meant.

Here's a brief overview of the country's highest court.

What does 'SCOTUS' mean?

"SCOTUS" stands for "Supreme Court of the United States."

The acronym dates back to 1879, according to Merriam-Webster, and first appeared a handbook for telegraph code operators called "The Phillips Telegraphic Code for the Rapid Transmission by Telegraph."

Similar to how we have characters count on social media, telegrams were priced by length. So, acronyms were big money savers.

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Who are the Supreme Court justices?

There are currently nine justices on the Supreme Court. There are eight associate justices and one chief justice.

John G. Roberts, Jr. is the current, and 17th, chief justice. He was appointed by President George W. Bush and was sworn in on Sept. 29, 2005.

The eight associate justices are:

Supreme Court justices are appointed by the president and confirmed by Senate. There is no term limit for the Supreme Court. A justice can retire whenever they choose, or serve until they die.

What are the ages of Supreme Court justices in 2024?

Here are the ages of the ages of the current Supreme Court justices from oldest to youngest:

  • Justice Thomas, 75

  • Justice Alito, 74

  • Justice Sotomayor, 69

  • Chief Justice Roberts, 69

  • Justice Kagan, 63

  • Justice Kavanaugh, 59

  • Justice Gorsuch, 56

  • Justice Jackson, 53

  • Justice Barrett, 52

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'SCOTUS' meaning: Get to know the Supreme Court and its justices.