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.
Vinland is a small agricultural unincorporated community south of the city of Lawrence and near Baldwin City in Douglas County, Kansas, United States. It is part of the Lawrence Metropolitan Statistical Area. It has rolling grassy hills and large maple trees. The topsoil is excellent for a wide variety of crops, including corn, wheat, milo, alfalfa. Many dairy farms are also in the area. The first settlers came in 1854 or 1855; they were mostly abolitionists spurred on by the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Renowned Jayhawker Silas Soule was among them. Like much of eastern Kansas, Vinland struggled in the Bleeding Kansas period to keep the land free from slavery, and at least one man was killed in various skirmishes, including the Battle of Black Jack in June, 1856. People in Vinland call this the "first battle of the American Civil War. " Today, "downtown" Vinland has about a dozen homes (many dating from the early part of the 20th century), an airfield (mostly used by small private planes), a small elementary school serving the Baldwin School District, a Grange Hall, and Coal Creek Library (founded in 1859), the oldest lending library west of the Mississippi River. Most years since 1874 Vinland has hosted a country fair, attracting thousands of visitors; the 100th Vinland Fair was held in 2007.