In civil procedure, exclusive jurisdiction exists where one court has the power to adjudicate a case to the exclusion of all other courts. It is the opposite situation from concurrent jurisdiction, in which more than one court may take jurisdiction over the case.
Exclusive jurisdiction is typically defined in terms of subject matter.
For example, 28 U.S.C. ยง 1334 gives the United States district courts exclusive jurisdiction over all matters arising in bankruptcy (with few exceptions).
On a Federal level, exclusive jurisdiction allows the Supreme Court to review the decisions in lower courts.
Famous quotes containing the words exclusive and/or jurisdiction:
“Can words such as Orthodox, Jew, or Catholic really express some sort of exclusive personal virtues or merits?”
—Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904)
“The putting into force of laws which shall secure the conservation of our resources, as far as they may be within the jurisdiction of the Federal Government, including the more important work of saving and restoring our forests and the great improvement of waterways, are all proper government functions which must involve large expenditure if properly performed.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)