What term describes a court's power to hear and decide a case?

• A. Jurisdiction
• B. Adversary system
• C. Precedent
• D. Remedies

Answer: (A)

Jurisdiction is the power of a court to hear and decide a case. This authority comes from law and depends on factors like where the dispute arose (territorial or geographic reach), the type of issue (subject-matter jurisdiction), and who is involved (personal jurisdiction). If a court lacks jurisdiction, it cannot lawfully proceed, no matter what the parties argue.

The other terms describe different ideas: the adversary system is about how cases are litigated between opposing sides; precedent refers to prior court decisions that guide future rulings; remedies are the relief sought or awarded by the court. Understanding jurisdiction helps explain why a case must be heard in a specific court or why it cannot be heard there at all.