Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Limited jurisdiction refers to a type of court that can only hear and decide certain types of cases. Federal courts, like the U.S. Tax Court or the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, are examples of courts with limited jurisdiction. State courts can also be limited jurisdiction courts, like municipal or small claims courts. These courts can only handle specific types of cases, such as family, probate, traffic, juvenile, and small claims cases. Courts of general jurisdiction, on the other hand, can hear almost any type of case.
Limited jurisdiction refers to a court that only has the power to hear and decide cases of a specific subject matter.
All federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction. For example, federal district courts can only hear cases that involve federal law or meet the requirements for diversity jurisdiction. Special courts, such as the U.S. Tax Court or the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, only hear certain types of cases. Federal circuit courts can only hear cases on appeal from a federal district or special court. The U.S. Supreme Court can hear cases on appeal from a circuit court or state courts if the case involves a federal question.
Most state courts are courts of general jurisdiction, meaning they can hear almost any state or federal claim, with some exceptions. However, there are also state courts of limited jurisdiction. These courts have different names in different states, such as municipal, county, and justice of the peace. They handle a variety of subject matter, such as family, probate, traffic, juvenile, and small claims courts.
An example of limited jurisdiction is the U.S. Tax Court. This court only hears cases related to federal tax law. It does not have the power to hear cases related to other areas of law, such as criminal law or contract law.