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.
Fort Worth is the seventeenth-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city within the state of Texas. Located in North Texas and the western edge of the American South, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly 300 square miles (780 km) in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and Wise counties, serving as the seat for Tarrant County. According to the July 2008 census estimates, Fort Worth had a population of 703,073 with an estimated growth to 750,000 by the 2010 decennial U. S. Census. The city is the second-largest cultural and economic center of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area. Established originally in 1849 as a protective Army outpost situated on a bluff overlooking the Trinity River, the city of Fort Worth today still embraces its western heritage and traditional architecture and design.