The jurisdiction sufficient to sustain a record is jurisdiction over the cause, over the parties, and over the thing, when a specific thing is the subject of the judgment.
§ 1917.Judgment; jurisdiction necessary
Title 2. Of the Kinds and Degrees of Evidence · Chapter 3. Writings · Article 2. Public Writings · Enacted 1872 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1917 defines the jurisdiction sufficient to sustain a judicial record as jurisdiction over the cause, over the parties, and, when a specific thing is the subject of the judgment, over that thing.
Full Text of § 1917
Plain-English Summary
This closing section of the article ties directly back to Section 1916's jurisdictional ground for impeachment by defining exactly what jurisdiction means in this context. Sustaining a judicial record requires jurisdiction over the cause, meaning the subject matter of the action, and jurisdiction over the parties involved in it.
Where the judgment concerns a specific thing, such as a judgment in rem, the court must also have had jurisdiction over that thing itself. Missing any one of these three pieces, subject matter, parties, or the thing at issue where relevant, is what leaves a judicial record vulnerable to the jurisdictional attack Section 1916 allows.
Frequently Asked Questions
What jurisdiction must a court have for its record to be sustained?
Jurisdiction over the cause and over the parties, and, if a specific thing is the subject of the judgment, jurisdiction over that thing as well.
How does this section relate to Section 1916?
Section 1916 allows impeachment of a judicial record for want of jurisdiction, and this section defines what jurisdiction sufficient to sustain the record requires.
Amendment History
(Enacted in 1872.)
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the West's Annotated California Codes / Thomson Reuters. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 29, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: jurisdiction sufficient to sustain judgment californiajurisdiction over cause parties thing