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.
Ocean Springs is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Biloxi. It is part of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 17,225 at the 2000 census. The town has a reputation as an "arts community. " Its historic and secluded downtown area, with streets lined by Live Oak trees, is home to several art galleries and shops plying shiny wares new and old alike. It is also home to a number of ethnic restaurants relatively uncommon in surrounding communities, such as Mediterraneo, Phoenicia Gourmet, and Shady's Global Grille on Government street. One particular gastronomic landmark is the locally-owned Lagniappe Restaurant, a culinary gathering place for locals since the 1970s which now specializes in catering and private parties. Ocean Springs was the hometown of the late Walter Inglis Anderson, a nationally renowned painter and muralist who died in 1965 resulting from lung cancer. The town plays host to several festivals, including its Peter Anderson Festival and The Herb Festival. Ocean Springs was severely damaged on August 29, 2005, by Hurricane Katrina, which smashed many buildings along the shoreline, including the Ocean Springs Yacht Club, and the historic wooden Fort Maurepas, and gutted or flooded other buildings. Katrina's 25 ft (7.6 m) storm surge also destroyed the Biloxi Bay Bridge, which connected Biloxi to Ocean Springs.