AUSTIN (KXAN) — In several recent lawsuits against Texas, attorneys for the state argued for dismissal due to "sovereign immunity." But what does that mean for Texans?

The legal doctrine holds that a sovereign can't be sued without its consent.

It originated in England, where it was "based on the idea that the King could do no wrong," according to Cornell Law School. Since the U.S. doesn't have a monarch, it applies to the federal and state governments.

But as our laws evolved over nearly 250 years, exceptions to sovereign immunity have been carved out by legislatures and legal precedence.

The University of Texas System's Office of General Counsel says on its website that the Texas Tort Claims Act provides exceptions to the immunity for lawsuits over "property damage, personal injury,

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