Image copyright AP Image caption Antonin Scalia, appointed by President Reagan in 1986, was one of the most conservative Supreme Court judges

Officials at a US university were left red-faced after their decision to rename a law school after late Supreme Court judge Antonin Scalia prompted hilarity over its unfortunate acronym.

George Mason University in Virginia said its law school would be called the Antonin Scalia School of Law.

The eagle-eyed immediately took to Twitter to point out that the acronym would be ASSoL.

The university has since renamed it as the Antonin Scalia Law School.

Image copyright @vijayprashad

Image copyright @99percentsassy

In a statement to students, the university said the new name was a "logical substitute" after the initial name "caused some acronym controversy on social media".

The renaming of the law school was a condition of an anonymous $30m (£21m) donation received by the university on 31 March.

The dean of the law school, Henry Butler, said the money would be received over the next five years and would be used to increase "the quantity and quality of students" over that time.

Antonin Scalia, one of the most conservative members of the US Supreme Court, died in February at the age of 79. He had been appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986.

President Barack Obama has nominated moderate Judge Merrick Garland as a replacement.