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.
Elk Rapids is a village in Antrim County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,700 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Elk Rapids Township, near in proximity to Traverse City. Elk Rapids is a suburb. It is physically split by the Elk River, which runs between nearby Elk Lake and Grand Traverse Bay. The village is currently taking steps to ensure that its unique main street with local shops remains intact by restricting development by national chains until the Village Council can work out a long term development plan according to the Town Meeting, October 17, 2008. It has a quaint main street with a collection of small shops selling knickknacks.