Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction: A legal term referring to the authority or power that a court will have over the individuals or the subject matter of the cases that will appear before it for consideration or decision. Since courts are created by municipal, county, state, national and international political entities, the scope of their authority or power will have geographic limitations corresponding to the geographic limitations of the political entity that created the court. Generally, decisions of courts will have binding effect only within the geographic boundaries of the political entity that created the court.