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.
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 them jurisdiction, courts of general jurisdiction have authority to handle any kind of case. The Florida district courts are general jurisdiction courts. Limited jurisdiction means that a court has restrictions on the cases it can decide. Venue Venue frequently is confused with jurisdiction.