Juvenile Court and Original Jurisdiction Explained

What is original jurisdiction in the context of juvenile courts?

1) original

Final answer:

1) original

Explanation:

If the first court in which a juvenile case appears is a juvenile court, the juvenile court is said to have original jurisdiction. Original jurisdiction refers to the power of a court to hear a case for the first time. It is the authority provided to a court when a case begins, initiates or originates in that particular court. This is different from appellate jurisdiction, where a higher court has the power to review, revise, overturn or affirm decisions made by lower courts.

For instance, most trial courts have original jurisdiction, including the 94 district courts in the US Article III federal court system. These are the first courts of authority to hear a case. Once a judgment is made in these trial courts, an aggrieved party might appeal the case to a higher court, meaning the higher court would then have appellate jurisdiction over that particular case.

In the context of juvenile courts, a case usually appears first in these courts when it involves legal issues related to minors. Thus, juvenile courts typically hold original jurisdiction over cases that involve individuals under the age of 18.