A court of limited jurisdiction has authority to hear and decide cases only of a particularsubject matter. Allfederal courtsare courts of limited jurisdiction. Federaldistrict courtsonly have the power to hear cases that arise underfederal law, or cases that meet the requirements fordiversity jurisdiction. Further, there are also special courts that only hear certain types of cases, such as theU.S. Tax Courtor theU.S. Bankruptcy Court. Federalcircuit courtscan only hear cases on appeal from a federal district or special court. TheU.S. Supreme Courtcan hear cases on appeal from a circuit court, or on appeal from state courts if the case involves a federal question.
Most state courts are courts of general jurisdiction, meaning a court that can hear almost any state or federal claim, with some exceptions. However, there are also state courts of limited jurisdiction. Thenamesof state courts of limited jurisdiction vary from state to state, such as municipal, county, and justice of the peace. Such courts handle a variety of subject matter, such asfamily,probate, traffic,juvenile, andsmall claimscourts. For a more in depth look at limited jurisdiction state courts, seethis resource guidefrom the National Center for State Courts.
[Last updated in June of 2020 by theWex Definitions Team]
