Also known as: jurisdiction over persons · personal jurisdiction · in personam jurisdiction
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A court's authority to render a binding judgment against a particular defendant. The authority rests on the defendant's presence or contacts within the forum, on consent, or on statutory grounds such as long-arm jurisdiction.
Judy Jacobs, a resident of State X, sued Juarez Holdings in State Y federal court over a contract formed entirely in State X. Juarez Holdings moved under Rule 12(b)(2) to dismiss the complaint. The court granted the motion because the company had no contacts with State Y that would support jurisdiction over the person.
Jonathan Jaffe, a foreign manufacturer, placed components into international commerce knowing they might reach State Z. When an indemnity suit arose in State Z between two foreign corporations, the court refused to exercise jurisdiction over the person. The mere placement of the product in the stream of commerce did not create sufficient contacts and the burdens on the foreign defendant made jurisdiction unreasonable.
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Jordan Jenkins filed suit in federal court after events occurred in multiple districts and no single district satisfied the ordinary venue rules. The court permitted venue in the district where one defendant was subject to the court's jurisdiction over the person because no other district was available under the statute.
Julia Jensen obtained a divorce decree in State W that lacked jurisdiction over the person of her absent spouse Jeffrey Jha. She later sought maintenance in State W. The court could award maintenance only after finding that Julia lacked sufficient property for her reasonable needs and could not support herself through appropriate employment.
Joanna Jung sought a custody determination in State V concerning a child who had never lived there. The court held that neither the physical presence of the child nor personal jurisdiction over either parent was necessary or sufficient to make the custody determination.
Jacobs Shipping filed a support petition in State U on behalf of a petitioner and forwarded it to a responding tribunal in State T. The petition could be filed directly in State T because that tribunal had or could obtain jurisdiction over the person of the respondent.
The defendant may move to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(2). The motion must be made before or in the responsive pleading, and failure to raise it timely can result in waiver.
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No. Mere placement of a product into the stream of commerce, even with awareness that it may reach the forum state, is not alone a clearly sufficient basis for personal jurisdiction.
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The court may grant maintenance only if it finds that the spouse seeking maintenance lacks sufficient property to provide for reasonable needs and is unable to support himself through appropriate employment or is the custodian of a child whose condition makes outside employment inappropriate.
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No. Physical presence of, or personal jurisdiction over, a party or a child is not necessary or sufficient to make a child-custody determination.
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…State, a judgment could affect his interest in property outside the State. But any attempt "directly" to assert extraterritorial jurisdiction over persons or property would offend sister States and exceed the inherent limits of the State's power. A judgment resulting from such an attempt, Mr. Justice Field concluded, was not only…