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I'm looking for the name of something that likely is defined somehwere in Robert's Rules of Order or in some other standard in parliamentary procedure.

Before a vote can take place, there must be a minimum number of voting parties present first. This term is called the quorum, and without it, no vote can take place.

But what about a term defining the extent and scope to which the group may take a vote on? For instance, the Senate cannot get together and vote on whether or not Bulgaria should legalize marijuana, because Bulgaria is outside of their defined scope. The board of a local homeowner's association cannot convene and take a vote on how many illegal firearm their homeowners can possess, because thats a legal issue outside the scope of the homeowner's association.

Whereas quorum defines the number of people required for a vote to take place, I'm hoping there is a word or phrase that defines the scope/domain over which votes can be taken.

Does such a word of phrase exist in law and/or governance?

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Jurisdiction

the authority of a court or official organization to make decisions and judgments

A body that acts within the scope of its jurisdiction can expect that its actions will be upheld by the courts - whether that body is the US Congress or a local softball club.

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  • For more on jurisdiction generally: law.stackexchange.com/questions/58116/…
    – bdb484
    Commented May 3, 2021 at 21:49
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    Worth noting that parliamentary procedure rarely enforces jurisdiction even in clear cases. Often parliamentary procedure produces votes on issues a deliberative body has no authority to act upon and then has its ruling declared invalid. The difficulty of getting groups that make decisions this way to limit their scope is something I call "the sovereignty of the group."
    – ohwilleke
    Commented May 3, 2021 at 21:49
  • @ohwilleke Can you provide an example of a situation you’re contemplating in this comment? Specifically interested in what you mean by parliamentary procedure “provides”
    – A.fm.
    Commented May 3, 2021 at 22:35
  • @ohwilleke Can you provide an example of a situation you’re contemplating in this comment? Specifically interested in what you mean by parliamentary procedure “produces” such votes and who or what declares it invalid.
    – A.fm.
    Commented May 3, 2021 at 22:42
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    @A.fm e.g. racial segregation in public schools enacted by State governments were ruled beyond their power (jurisdiction) in Brown v Board of Education by the US Supreme Court. More generally, corporations are overseen by the courts which may or may not uphold irregularities e.g. carternewell.com/page/Publications/Archive/…
    – Dale M ♦
    Commented May 3, 2021 at 23:01

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