jurisdiction

n. legal authority, right to make legal decisions; authority; range of authority, territory over which authority is exercised

In law, jurisdiction (from the Latin ius, iuris meaning "law" and dicere meaning "to speak") is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility.
See more at Wikipedia.org...

(a.)
The legal power, right, or authority of a particular court to hear and determine causes, to try criminals, or to execute justice; judicial authority over a cause or class of causes; as, certain suits or actions, or the cognizance of certain crimes, are within the jurisdiction of a particular court, that is, within the limits of its authority or commission.
  

(a.)
The authority of a sovereign power to govern or legislate; the right of making or enforcing laws; the power or right of exercising authority.
  

(a.)
Sphere of authority; the limits within which any particular power may be exercised, or within which a government or a court has authority.
  

Legal authority or the territory in which such authority is extended. In international law, a conflict of jurisdiction arises where two or more States claim legal authority over a matter.

Refers to a court's authority to judge over a situation usually acquired in one of three ways: over acts committed in a defined territory (eg. the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of Australia is limited to acts committed or originating in Australia), over certain types of cases (the jurisdiction of a bankruptcy court is limited to bankruptcy cases), or over certain persons (a military court has jurisdiction limited to actions of enlisted personnel). - (read more on Jurisdiction)