Problem: Under the authority of a state Arm statute, a court can exercise personal jurisdiction over certain out-of-state defendants based on activities that took place within the state. Before exercising jurisdiction over a nonresident, however, the court must be convinced that the defendant had sufficient contacts, or contacts, with the state to justify the jurisdiction. Generally, this means that the defendant must have enough of a connection to the state for the judge to conclude that it is fair for the state to exercise power over the defendant.