Senatus consultum ultimum
"ULTIMATE DECREE" OF THE ANCIENT ROMAN SENATE
Senatus consultum de re publica defendenda; Ultimate decree; Senatus Consultum Ultimum
The senatus consultum ultimum ("final decree of the senate", often abbreviated to SCU) is the modern term given to resolutions of the Roman senate lending its moral support for magistrates to use the full extent of their powers and ignore the laws to safeguard the state.