Jurisdiction means the legal authority to make decisions, apply the law, and govern within a certain area or over certain types of cases.

Simple definition

  • In law, “jurisdiction” is the power or right of a court or legal body to hear a case and make binding decisions.
  • It can also mean the geographic area or “territory” where that power applies (for example, a country, state, or city).

Think of it like this: if a judge is a referee, jurisdiction is the specific game and field where that referee is allowed to blow the whistle.

Main ways the word is used

  • Court power: A court must have jurisdiction to hear a case; if it doesn’t, its decision can be challenged or ruled invalid.
  • Geographic area: A police department or government usually only has authority within its own city, state, or country; that area is its jurisdiction.
  • Type of case (subject matter): Some courts can only handle certain issues, like family cases, criminal cases, or small money disputes.

Quick everyday examples

  • A family court can handle divorce or child custody, but usually not a serious murder trial, because it lacks criminal jurisdiction.
  • A traffic ticket from a UK city is normally handled in that city’s legal system, not by a court in another country, because the foreign court has no territorial jurisdiction there.

When people say, “That’s not in my jurisdiction,” they usually mean, “I don’t have the legal power or official responsibility to deal with that.”

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.