Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction is the legal authority of a court or government over people, territory, or a particular dispute. Its limits determine which institution may make and enforce a decision.

Personal jurisdiction: A court’s authority to bind a particular person or entity. It determines whether a court can exercise power over a defendant.
Service of process: Formal delivery of legal documents notifying a party of a proceeding. Proper service can be required before a court exercises personal jurisdiction.
Choice of law: The rules used to determine which jurisdiction’s laws govern a dispute. The law selected for a dispute need not be the law of the court hearing it.
Federal jurisdiction: The authority of federal courts to hear cases under national law or other specified grounds. It shows how a national court system divides cases from state courts.
Territorial jurisdiction: A government’s or court’s authority within a defined geographic area. It links legal authority to the territory where it operates.
Minimum contacts: A due-process standard assessing a defendant’s relationship with a forum state. For many U.S. cases, these contacts help justify personal jurisdiction.
Sovereignty: The supreme authority of a state to govern itself and its territory. Jurisdiction is a legal expression of governmental authority, but it is narrower than sovereignty.
Diversity jurisdiction: U.S. federal jurisdiction over certain civil disputes between citizens of different states or countries. It permits some disputes governed by state law to be heard in federal court.
Original jurisdiction: A court’s authority to hear a case first, rather than review another court’s decision. It distinguishes trial-level authority from review on appeal.
Venue: The legally appropriate geographic location for a case within a court system. Venue selects where an authorized court hears a case; jurisdiction asks whether it may hear it at all.

Linked from 42 pages