Constitutional law attorneys handle cases involving the construction and interpretation of federal and state constitutions, including individual rights and governmental powers. Constitutional law cases can involve issues like First Amendment rights -- such as freedom of speech, press, and religion -- and the checks and balances on authority among different branches of government. Most of the federal constitutional rights are found in the Bill of Rights, that was created originally as a limitation on the action by the federal government, but many of those rights are also applicable to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment.
Cape Girardeau (colloquially referred to as "Cape") is a city located in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is located approximately 115 miles (185 km) southeast of St. Louis. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city's population was 35,349. A 2007 estimate, however, showed the population to be 37,525. A college town, it is the home of Southeast Missouri State University and the largest city in southeast Missouri. Although it is the largest city in Cape Girardeau County, the county seat is Jackson. The Cape Girardeau-Jackson, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area embraces Alexander County, Illinois, Bollinger County, Missouri and Cape Girardeau County, Missouri.