Jurisdiction

In one sentence

The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case.

Plain English

Jurisdiction is the power a court has to handle a particular lawsuit. A court only has jurisdiction if it has a proper connection to the case—for example, if the defendant lives there, the contract was signed there, or the harm occurred there. Without jurisdiction, a court cannot legally hear the case, even if it wants to.

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Example

A customer in New York sues a company in California over a defective product. A New York court may have jurisdiction because the customer lives there and suffered harm there, but a court in Texas probably would not have jurisdiction over the case.

Used in a sentence

“The court ruled it lacked jurisdiction to hear the case because neither party lived in the state.”

Related terms

Forum Selection Clause

A contract provision specifying which court or jurisdiction will hear any disputes between the parties.

Governing Law

The state or jurisdiction whose laws will interpret and enforce a contract.

Arbitration Clause

A contract provision requiring disputes to be resolved by a private arbitrator instead of court.

Dispute Resolution

The process and methods parties use to settle disagreements arising from a contract.

Notice

A formal written communication required by a contract to inform the other party of something important.

Offer

A proposal to enter into a binding agreement on specific terms.

Acceptance

Agreeing to the exact terms of an offer, creating a binding contract.

Consideration

Something of value exchanged by each party to make a contract binding.

This page is a plain-English reference and is not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change over time. For specific situations consult a licensed attorney.