Also known as: courts jurisdiction · court jurisdiction · judicial jurisdiction
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A court's authority to hear and decide particular cases. This power requires both subject-matter jurisdiction over the category of dispute and personal jurisdiction over the parties involved.
Joanna Jung sued Jarvis Aviation in State FF1 for unpaid brokerage fees arising from shipments between two foreign countries. None of the voyages touched State FF1. When a Jarvis ship docked in State FF1 for unrelated repairs, Joanna obtained an attachment order. The court dismissed for lack of personal jurisdiction because the vessel's presence bore no relation to the claim.
James Johnson sued International Shoe in Washington state court to collect unemployment taxes on commissions earned by its salesmen there. The company maintained no office or inventory in the state but sent representatives who solicited orders and occasionally collected payments. The court upheld jurisdiction because those continuous contacts made it reasonable to require the company to defend the tax claim.
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John Jones, a Tennessee voter, sued state officials in federal court alleging that the state's legislative districts violated equal protection by giving rural voters disproportionate influence. The defendants moved to dismiss on political-question grounds. The court held that the claim presented a justiciable controversy within federal subject-matter jurisdiction.
Jessica Jacobs filed a federal diversity action in Louisiana seeking damages from her former husband for alleged torts committed during their marriage in another state. The former husband moved to dismiss. The court held that the domestic-relations exception barred federal jurisdiction over the essentially matrimonial dispute.
Jonathan Jaffe sued in Oregon to recover on a debt after serving process on the defendant's Oregon property. The defendant had never been served personally and had no other contacts with the state. The court held that jurisdiction based solely on property ownership without personal service violated due process.
Jordan Jenkins, born in Missouri to parents who were Missouri citizens, sued in federal court claiming Missouri citizenship. The defendant challenged jurisdiction on the ground that Jordan's ancestry rendered him ineligible for citizenship. The court addressed whether it possessed authority to decide the citizenship question at all.
No. Modern doctrine requires minimum contacts between the defendant, the forum, and the litigation. Property presence alone does not satisfy due process when the dispute has no connection to the property.
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The defendant must have sufficient minimum contacts with the forum such that the exercise of jurisdiction does not offend traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice.
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Federal courts lack jurisdiction over actions for divorce, alimony, or child custody even when diversity of citizenship and the amount in controversy are satisfied.
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…It thus denies the power of the state to lay the tax or to subject appellant to a suit for its collection. Historically the jurisdiction of courts to render judgment in personam is grounded on their de facto power over the defendant’s person. Hence his presence within the territorial jurisdiction of a court was prerequisite to its…