A civil right is an enforceable right or privilege, which if interfered with by another gives rise to an action for injury. Examples of civil rights are freedom of speech, press, and assembly; the right to vote; freedom from involuntary servitude; and the right to equality in public places. Discrimination occurs when the civil rights of an individual are denied or interfered with because of their membership in a particular group or class. Statutes have been enacted to prevent discrimination based on race, sex, religion, age, previous condition of servitude, physical limitation, national origin, and in some instances sexual preference. Civil rights attorneys handle cases involving the rights of individuals to be free from unequal treatment (or discrimination) based on legally-protected characteristics such as race, gender, disability, national origin, age, sexual orientation, and religion. Civil rights cases can arise in a number of settings -- including employment, housing, lending, and education.
Powell is a city in Delaware County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,247 at the 2000 census. The community was first settled around 1801, two years before Ohio became a state. It was named "Middlebury" at the time, because the first settlers came from the Middlebury, Connecticut area. In 1857, Judge Thomas Powell established the first post office in the community, and the residents decided to adopt his name. Powell was finally incorporated as a municipality in 1947. The population remained small until the late 1980s, when residential development expanding from the northern Columbus metropolitan area reached Powell. In twenty years, the population rose from less than 400 to over 6,000. In July 2005, CNN Money and Money magazine ranked Powell 18 on its list of the 100 Best Places to Live in the United States. The general Powell area is usually interpreted to mean not only the incorporated City of Powell, but also the adjoining unincorporated areas of Liberty and Orange townships.