Legal Definitions - limited jurisdiction

Limited jurisdiction refers to a court that only has the power to hear and decide cases of a specific subject matter.

All federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction. For example, federal district courts can only hear cases that involve federal law or meet the requirements for diversity jurisdiction. Special courts, such as the U.S. Tax Court or the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, only hear certain types of cases. Federal circuit courts can only hear cases on appeal from a federal district or special court. The U.S. Supreme Court can hear cases on appeal from a circuit court or state courts if the case involves a federal question.

Most state courts are courts of general jurisdiction, meaning they can hear almost any state or federal claim, with some exceptions. However, there are also state courts of limited jurisdiction. These courts have different names in different states, such as municipal, county, and justice of the peace. They handle a variety of subject matter, such as family, probate, traffic, juvenile, and small claims courts.

An example of limited jurisdiction is the U.S. Tax Court. This court only hears cases related to federal tax law. It does not have the power to hear cases related to other areas of law, such as criminal law or contract law.