Whether a particular court has the power and authority to decide a case is known as subject matter jurisdiction. If a court does not have subject matter jurisdiction, it may not decide a case. A court also must have personal jurisdiction over the defendant in a case. There are different ways in which a court may have personal jurisdiction, including if a defendant resides or has a business within the court's geographical region. For example, a Florida plaintiff may not bring an action in Florida district court against a defendant who lives and works in another state, if that defendant has no contact with the state of Florida.
Jurisdiction is set in law, constitutions, or case law.
In some cases, courts have overlapping jurisdiction, giving a person a choice of court in which to file the action. Exclusive jurisdiction means that only a particular court can decide a case. An example of exclusive subject matter jurisdiction is bankruptcy. Only in a federal bankruptcy court can a person file a bankruptcy action. State courts have no jurisdiction in bankruptcy cases.