The power of a court to hear a case is called?

• A. Original jurisdiction
• B. Statute of limitations
• C. Jurisdiction
• D. Bench trial

Answer: (C)

Jurisdiction is the authority of a court to hear and decide a case. It covers the court’s power to hear matters in general, including aspects like subject-matter, personal, and territorial reach. The term describes who can sue where and what kinds of cases a court can adjudicate. Original jurisdiction is a specific type of authority—the court’s first-hand power to hear certain cases in the initial proceeding—but it’s a subset of jurisdiction, not the general concept itself. The statute of limitations is a time limit for filing claims, which can affect whether a case can be heard at all, but it isn’t the court’s power to hear. A bench trial is a trial conducted by a judge, not a description of the court’s authority.