Jurisdiction
U.S. Naturalization Test (2025 Standard) glossary · Civics
Definition
The authority or territory over which power applies.
Jurisdiction in plain English
Jurisdiction is simply the answer to the question: who has the authority to decide this, and where? A court, a police department, or a government only has power over certain matters and within certain borders — outside of that, they can't act. For example, a traffic court can rule on a speeding ticket but not a murder case, and a California court can't decide a dispute that belongs to Texas. It's like how your school principal can set rules for your school, but not for the school across town — their reach only goes so far.
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