# jurisdiction

Pronunciation: say "juur-is-DIK-shuhn" US /d͡ʒʊɹɪsˈdɪkʃən/, UK /d͡ʒʊəɹɪsˈdɪkʃən/

## Noun

1. The power of a court or official to determine what the law means and how it applies in a case.
   - Simple: The power a court or official has to use the law and decide cases.
   - _The federal court has jurisdiction to hear cases involving constitutional questions._
   - _Without proper jurisdiction, the judge cannot rule on the lawsuit._
2. The territory or limits within which legal authority may be exercised.
   - Simple: The area or region where someone in power is allowed to act.
   - _The suspect fled beyond the city's jurisdiction before officers arrived._
   - _Officers cannot make arrests outside their jurisdiction._
3. The power or right to exercise authority over people or matters.
   - Simple: The right to use power or control over people or things.
   - _The committee has jurisdiction over all spending decisions in the department._
   - _The agency was granted jurisdiction over workplace safety nationwide._
4. The authority of a sovereign power to govern or to make laws.
   - Simple: The power of a country or ruler to govern and make laws.
   - _The treaty recognized the kingdom's jurisdiction over the disputed islands._
   - _A nation exercises jurisdiction over everyone living within its borders._
5. The power or right to carry out a particular action as part of applying the law.
   - Simple: The right to take a legal step as part of using the law.
   - _The magistrate had jurisdiction to issue the search warrant._
   - _Only a higher court has jurisdiction to overturn the verdict._

## Origin

The word comes from Latin iūrisdictiō.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/jurisdiction (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).