Only in a federal bankruptcy court can a person file a bankruptcy action. State courts have no jurisdiction in bankruptcy cases. General jurisdiction means that a court has the ability to hear and decide a wide range of cases. Unless a law or constitutional provision denies it jurisdiction, a court of general jurisdiction has authority to handle any kind of case. The Texas district-level courts are general jurisdiction courts.
Limited jurisdiction means that a court has restrictions on the types of cases it decides.
Texas' county-level courts, municipal courts, and justice of the peace courts are courts of limited jurisdiction because they can hear and decide only certain specific cases. Venue Venue frequently is confused with jurisdiction. While jurisdiction asks whether a court system has authority to hear a case, venue asks which court within a jurisdiction should hear and decide a case. In Texas, a case usually is filed in the county in which the claim originated or where one or more of the defendants resides. Change of venue can be requested by either of the parties.