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.
Vandalia is a city in Audrain and Ralls Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 2,529 at the 2000 census. Col. Aaron McPike, who founded Vandalia in 1874, called Vandalia "Queen of the Prairie". Vast rolling prairies had underlying coal and refractory types of clay. Brickplants are major employers in Audrain County today. The Audrain County portion of Vandalia is part of the Mexico Micropolitan Statistical Area, while the Ralls County portion is part of the Hannibal Micropolitan Statistical Area.