ABSTRACT
Constitutional law is the law defining those legal relationships, such as powers, rights, duties, privileges, and immunities, created by a constitution. Many of the provisions of the Constitution are phrased in very general terms, and thus they are especially indeterminate. The courts have addressed the problem of indeterminacy by adopting more specific rules of case law that define, apply, and limit the provisions of the Constitution. A major purpose of the Constitution is to define the powers of the federal government. A long series of clauses confers on the federal government the power to take various actions or enact certain types of laws. The Constitution, particularly in the Bill of Rights, prescribes certain rights that individuals have. The due process clause of the Constitution prohibits the federal or state government from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.
