Many professional designations in the United States take the form of post-nominal letters. Professional societies or educational institutes usually award certifications. Obtaining a certificate is voluntary in some fields, but in others, certification from a government-accredited agency may be legally required to perform specific jobs or tasks.
Organizations in the United States involved in setting standards for certification include the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE). Many certification organizations are members of the Association of Test Publishers (ATP).
Additionally, many jurisdictions grant some or all judges the right to use postnominal letters, which they generally employ in place of "Esq." The most common is "J." (for "Judge" or "Justice"), but more complex systems exist. For instance, in New Jersey, Judges of the New Jersey Superior Court are entitled to the postnomials "J.S.C.", except for the a Presiding Judges of the Family, Civil, Criminal, and General Equity Parts in a vicinage (entitled to the letters "P.J.F.P.", "P.J. Civ. P.", "P.J. Cr. P.", and "P.J. Ch. P."), a vicinage assignment judge (entitled to "A.J.S.C."), Appellate Division judges ("J.A.D.") and the Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division ("P.J.A.D."). Justices of the Supreme Court of New Jersey are entitled to the simple postnominal "J.", except for the Chief Justice, who uses "C.J."