The Inherent Jurisdiction of the Court and Its Limits

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to define the “inherent jurisdiction of the court,” describe its exercise and prescribe its limits. The paper begins by examining the exercise of the inherent jurisdiction in four similar common law systems and attempting to define it, before continuing on to formulate limits on the inherent jurisdiction. The paper concludes that it is important and possible to define and distinguish the inherent jurisdiction, but it must be examined in the way it is often invoked, as an umbrella term.