This is 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 to have personal jurisdiction, including if a defendant resides or has a business within the court's geographical region. For example, a California plaintiff cannot bring an action in California superior court against a defendant who lives and works in another state, if that defendant has no contact with the state of California.
Jurisdiction is set in law, constitutions, or case law.
It is possible to have courts with overlapping jurisdiction and a person has a choice of in which court to file an action. Exclusive Jurisdiction Exclusive jurisdiction means that only a particular court can decide a case. An example of exclusive subject matter jurisdiction is bankruptcy court. Only in a federal bankruptcy court can a person file a bankruptcy action. State courts have no jurisdiction in bankruptcy cases.