Legal Definitions - Original jurisdiction

Original jurisdiction refers to a court's authority to hear a case for the very first time, before any other court has reviewed it. It is the power to conduct the initial trial, examine evidence, hear witnesses, and make a decision on the facts and law of the case.

Most cases begin in a court that has original jurisdiction. For instance, a local trial court typically has original jurisdiction over criminal charges or civil lawsuits filed within its geographical area. While higher courts, like appellate courts or supreme courts, primarily review decisions made by lower courts, certain specific types of cases are legally mandated to start directly in these higher courts, granting them original jurisdiction for those particular matters.

Here are a few examples illustrating how original jurisdiction works:

• A Local Traffic Court Hearing: Imagine a driver receives a speeding ticket. When they decide to contest the ticket, their case will be heard by a local traffic court or municipal court. This court will be the first to hear the driver's defense, review any evidence (like radar readings), and decide whether the driver is guilty or not guilty.

  This illustrates original jurisdiction because the traffic court is the initial forum where the dispute is presented and decided. The case does not come to this court on appeal from another court; it starts here.

• A Federal Patent Infringement Lawsuit: Suppose a technology company believes a competitor has copied its patented software design. The company decides to sue the competitor for patent infringement.

  In the United States, all cases involving patent law must begin in a U.S. District Court, which is a federal trial court. State courts do not have the authority to hear patent disputes. Therefore, the U.S. District Court has original jurisdiction over this type of case, meaning the lawsuit must be filed there first, and it will be the court to conduct the initial trial and make a ruling on the infringement claim.

• A Case Involving a Foreign Ambassador: Consider a rare situation where a foreign ambassador, officially recognized by the U.S. government, is accused of a serious crime within the United States.

  Under the U.S. Constitution, the Supreme Court has original jurisdiction in cases "affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls." This means that, rather than starting in a local or federal trial court, the case involving the ambassador could potentially be brought directly to the U.S. Supreme Court for its initial hearing and decision, bypassing the usual lower court process due to the unique diplomatic status of the individual involved.