primary jurisdiction
Defined in 1 dictionary — Case Law
Definitions from Case Law
From 352 U.S. 59 - United States v. Western Pacific Railroad · 1956Most cited · 3,564 citing opinions
Primary jurisdiction,' on the other hand, applies where a claim is originally cognizable in the courts, and comes into play whenever enforcement of the claim requires the resolution of issues which, under a regulatory scheme, have been placed within the special competence of an administrative body; in such a case the judicial process is suspended pending referral of such issues to the administrative body for its views.