Venue vs Jurisdiction


The difference between venue and jurisdiction takes importance when

they are both used in the legal context. This is because both venue and
jurisdiction speak superficially of a place. That is, the two terms confuse
people when jurisdiction is used in the sense of proper court, which has
the authority to hear a particular case and when venue refers to the court
in which the case is to be held. Jurisdiction, in general, refers to the
authority or control a particular body has over something or to the extent
to which the body can exercise its authority or control over something.
This article gives a clear description of the two terms, venue and
jurisdiction, and the difference between both.
What does Jurisdiction mean?
The word jurisdiction is derived from the Latin ‘juris’ meaning ‘oath’
and ‘dicere’ meaning ‘to speak’. It is the authority granted to constituted
legal body or a political leader to deal with legal matters and also to
direct justice within the area of responsibility. Jurisdiction is also used to
denote the geographical area in which the authority granted to a
constituted legal body or a political leader to deal with legal matters and
to direct justice. In this sense, it is clear that jurisdiction is the region in
which the authority can be exercised as well as the authority granted.
That is why some police officers say they do not have the jurisdiction in
an area. That means they do not have the authority to take action in an
area, if it is outside the region where their power is.
There are three concepts of jurisdiction, namely, personal jurisdiction,
territorial jurisdiction and subject matter jurisdiction. The authority
over a person is called personal jurisdiction. The location of the person
is not important when it comes to personal jurisdiction. The authority
confined to a bounded place is called territorial jurisdiction. The
authority over the subject of the questions pertaining to law is called
subject matter jurisdiction.
Jurisdiction also can be used to define a court’s authority. A court may
be designated or empowered to hear only certain cases. So, it may not be
the proper court to hear the cases or conduct trials outside its
jurisdiction. As a matter of fact, courts may have jurisdiction that is
exclusive or shared too. The court alone becomes authorized to address
on legal matters if it is characterized by exclusive jurisdiction over a
specified area or territory. On the other hand, more than one court can
address the matter if a court has shared jurisdiction. Waiving, which is
done with regard to venue, is not possible in the case of jurisdiction
since jurisdiction is all about authority.
Diff Article Middle
What does Venue mean?
Venue, on the other hand, is the location where a case is heard. It is
interesting to note that the venue is either a county or a district in the
United States. Venue deals with locality of a lawsuit. In short, it can be
said that the venue decides the place a lawsuit may be filed.
It is quite important to know that defendants can waive venue at the time
of trial. Plaintiffs can waive venue at the time of the trial. Change of
venue is done in both civil and criminal cases. In civil cases, a change of
venue can be done if neither party lives or does business in the
jurisdiction where the case is heard. In criminal cases, venue change is
asked mainly because the witnesses want a jury that is not acquainted
with them and is not exposed to the case before through media and such.

What is the difference between Venue and

Jurisdiction?
• Jurisdiction is the territory within which the authority is granted to deal
with legal matters and to direct justice.
• Jurisdiction also refers to the power to make legal decisions and
judgments.
• Venue, on the other hand, is the location where a lawsuit may be filed;
case is heard.
• There are three types of jurisdiction as personal, territorial and subject
matter. In the case of personal jurisdiction, venue is not important.
Venue vs Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction and venue are words that are related to
law. ‘Jurisdiction’ is the authority given to a legal
body for hearing a case. ‘Venue’ is the place where a
case is heard.
Venue is the place where the suit is filed. In another
term, venue decides the locality of a suit. Venue can
be any region such as a country or a district or a
town or a city.

When talking of jurisdiction, there are three

concepts; such as, personal jurisdiction, subject
matter jurisdiction, and territorial jurisdiction.
‘Personal jurisdiction’ means the right of the court
over a person, and here the position of the individual
is not so important. ‘Subject matter jurisdiction’
means the right over the subject. ‘Territory
jurisdiction’ means the right over a region or
territory. The court does not have the right to hear
cases that fall outside its jurisdiction.

As said earlier, venue is the place where a case is

filed. In criminal cases, the venue will be the locality
where the crime has been committed such as the
judicial district, town, or country. In civil cases, the
venue will be the principal defendant’s residence or
the place where a contract was carried out. But
sometimes the parties concerned may change the
venue for convenience. And in case a suit is filed in a
different venue, the defendant can readily demand
for shifting the venue.

Though these two words are related to law and

courts, the two words are very much connected. In
all cases, the venue of any crime is important as well
as that of the jurisdiction.

Summary
In all cases, the venue of any crime is important as
well as that of the jurisdiction.
‘Venue’ is the place where the lawsuit is filed. Venue
can be any region such as a country or a district or a
town or a city.
‘Jurisdiction’ is the authority given to a legal body
for hearing a case.
When talking of jurisdiction, there are three
concepts; such as, personal jurisdiction, subject
matter jurisdiction, and territorial jurisdiction.
In criminal cases, the venue will be the locality
where the crime has been committed such as the
judicial district or town or country.
In civil cases, the venue will be the principal
defendant’s residence or the place where a contract
was carried out.
The court does not have the right to hear cases that
fall outside its jurisdiction.