Temporal Jurisdiction Definition: Jurisdiction of a state or of a court of law over a legal action as it may be affected by the effects or passage of time. Related Terms: Limitations or Statute of Limitations, Prescription The right to litigate may be curtailed by the mere passage of time, as in the expiry of times set out in relevant statute of limitations. This, temporal jurisdiction refers to the jurisdiction usually of a court of law over a proposed action in relation to the passage of time; either the court has lost temporal jurisdiction because the deadline for litigation of the particular action has expired, or it has temporal jurisdiction because it was launched within the prescribed time limitations. REFERENCES: Duhaime, Lloyd, Legal Definition of Limitations or Statute of Limitations Duhaime, Lloyd, Legal Definition of Prescription Categories & Topics: Civil Litigation & Evidence Law Dictionary Tort and Personal Injury Law Dictionary Find you are constantly looking up definitions? Try our search provider (works in most modern browsers) If you find an error or omission in Duhaime's Legal Dictionary, or if you have legal term suggestion, we'd love to hear from you!