What is jurisdiction?

The word jurisdiction came from the Latin terms "juris" and "dictio." Juris means law; dictio means "word" or "speak." Thus, jurisdiction etymologically means "I speak the law." And indeed, courts speak the law.

Jurisdiction in the technical sense is the power or capacity conferred by law or the Constitution to a court or tribunal to entertain, hear and determine certain controversies and render judgment thereon. It must be remembered that jurisdiction is conferred by law and is not subject to compromise.Jurisdiction (from the Latin ius, iuris meaning "law" and dicere meaning "to speak") is the practical authority granted to a legal body to administer justice within a defined field of responsibility, e.g., Michigan tax law. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels; e.g. the court has jurisdiction to apply federal law. Colloquially it is used to refer to the geographical area to which such authority applies, e.g. the court has jurisdiction over all of Colorado. The legal term refers only to the granted authority, not to a geographical area. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurisdiction.

Jurisdiction, in law, the authority of a court to hear and determine cases. This authority is constitutionally based. Examples of judicial jurisdiction are: appellate jurisdiction, in which a superior court has power to correct legal errors made in a lower court; concurrent jurisdiction, in which a suit might be brought to any of two or more courts; and federal jurisdiction (as opposed, for example, to state jurisdiction). A court may also have authority to operate within a certain territory. www.britannica.com/topic/jurisdiction.