term:

Forum

forum n

1 : public forum
2 a : a judicial body or assembly
: court [allowed the defendant in a state court action to choose the federal by removing the case "M. H. Redish"]
b : the territorial jurisdiction of a court [due process requires defendant to have minimum level of contacts with before personal jurisdiction may be exercised "National Law Journal"]

Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law ©1996. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.