⚖ Legal Lexicon sources of authority
DictionariesFounding-era meaningAmerican vs British common lawPersuasive authorityReception of English lawThe FederalistAmerican LexiconDictionary directoryUsing Black’s correctly

Jurisdiction

← the full American Legal Lexicon

Jurisdiction procedure
A court's power to hear a particular kind of case and to make binding decisions about the people or property involved.
Technical: The authority of a court to adjudicate — comprising subject-matter jurisdiction (power over the type of dispute) and personal jurisdiction (power over the parties or res); without it, a judgment is void.

A dictionary entry is reference: it describes how a term is used. It is not itself binding law. Why that matters →

Act on this

Somewhere to act on what you just read — start with our own tools:

Legal information, not legal advice.