O.S.C. is an abbreviation for order to show cause, a court order or the demand of a judge requiring a party to justify or explain why the court should or should not grant a motion or a relief. For example, if a party requests a restraining order from a judge, the judge may need more information and could issue an O.S.C.
In procedural law, an “order to show cause” can be understood as providing notice of a legal proceeding to a relevant party, as seen in the case of State v. Miscellaneous Fireworks 34 A.3d 992 (2011).
Orders to show cause are governed by the civil procedure rules of the relevant courts. For example, New York’s Civil Practice Law and Rules (CPLR) Rule 2214 states that “The court in a proper case may grant an order to show cause, to be served in lieu of a notice of motion, at a time and in a manner specified therein. An order to show cause against a state body or officers must be served in addition to service upon the defendant or respondent state body or officers upon the attorney general by delivery to an assistant attorney general at an office of the attorney general in the county in which venue of the action is designated or if there is no office of the attorney general in such county, at the office of the attorney general nearest such county.”
As an abbreviation, OSC may also refer to the Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency.
[Last updated in July of 2023 by the Wex Definitions Team]