Ultra vires
Etymology
A Latin phrase meaning "beyond the powers," from ultra, "beyond," and vires, "strength, powers" (the plural of vis, "force"). It describes acts that exceed the authority conferred by a charter, statute, or constitution. Its opposite, intra vires, marks action that stays safely within those limits.
adverb · /UL-truh-VY-reez/
Beyond the legal power or authority granted to a person, company, or public body.
What it names
The ground on which a court can void a decision because an official or corporation simply had no authority to make it.
Example
The court ruled the agency’s new fee ultra vires, since no statute had authorized it to charge one.
Related idea
An ultra vires act exceeds a body’s legal powers; jurisdiction concerns a related limit — whether a court has authority over the matter in the first place.