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Articles by Meredith Somers

FILE - This Oct. 13, 2013 file photo shows Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy speaking in Philadelphia. The Supreme Court on Wednesday said a federal law limits how much money victims of child pornography can recover from people who viewed their images online, throwing out a nearly $3.4 million judgment in favor of a woman whose childhood rape has been widely seen on the Internet. Kennedy said for the court that federal judges should exercise discretion in awarding restitution. The case involved a woman known in court papers by the pseudonym "Amy." Her losses have been pegged at nearly $3.4 million, based on the ongoing Internet trade and viewing of images of her being raped by her uncle when she was 8 and 9 years old. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

Supreme Court OKs prayer before public meetings

A New York town's practice of opening its government meetings with a prayer does not violate the constitutional separation of church and state, a sharply divided Supreme Court ruled Monday, in a decision that both sides said could signal a major shift in the role of religion in the public square.

May 5, 2014
Same sex celebrant Rodger Munson, center, watches Chris Teoh, left, put a wedding ring on Ivan Hinton's finger as they take their vows during a ceremony at Old Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)

Methodists OK same-sex benefits for employees

Gay employees of the United Methodist Church can now claim benefits for their spouses, the church's highest judicial board recently decided, but they still will have to find another church if they want to get married.

May 1, 2014
Palin

Higher Ground: Palin and baptism

An online Christian community action group has launched a petition against former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for her recent comments jokingly referring to waterboarding as a "baptism" for terrorists.

May 1, 2014
** FILE ** A woman holds a Bible while standing in silent prayer on the steps of the Supreme Court on Oct. 1, 2012, before the justices return to the bench for another term. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

Biblical approach to poverty poses challenges

Before the apple, before the serpent, Adam and Eve had jobs — a biblical blueprint for how humanity should address helping its poor, a panel of faith-based leaders and researchers said Tuesday.

April 29, 2014
The shrine, formerly known as National Shrine of Blessed John Paul II, was renamed the Saint John Paul II National Shrine and unveiled during a Sunday ceremony. (KHALID NAJI-ALLAH/SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES)

Local ceremony honors canonization of John Paul II

When Cheverly resident Reton Gaffney couldn't make it to Rome for the canonization of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II, she found a local way to participate in Catholic Church history.

April 27, 2014
U.S. soldiers with Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, bow their heads as Maj. Daniel Finkhousen, the brigade's chaplain, offers an invocation on Christmas Day at Forward Operating Base Al Masaak in Afghanistan's Zabul province on Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012. (U.S. Army/1st Lt. Vanessa Macekura)

Higher Ground: Humanists in the foxholes

The U.S. Army this week announced that "humanist" is now officially recognized as a "faith code" within its ranks. Humanism, according to the American Humanist Association, is "non-theistic."

April 24, 2014
FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014 file photo, singer Chris Brown, right, arrives at the District of Columbia Superior Court in Washington, for a status hearing in a case in which he's accused of hitting a man outside a Washington hotel. Lawyers for Brown are due back in a Washington court Thursday Feb. 20, 2014 to determine a date for his trial on a misdemeanor assault charge, but the singer won't be in town. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Chris Brown’s assault trial delayed by D.C. judge

A D.C. judge on Wednesday delayed the assault trial for singer Chris Brown, allowing the Grammy winner to return to Los Angeles and giving his attorneys several months to decide how to proceed without the help of a key witness.

April 23, 2014
FILE - This Jan. 8, 2014 file photo shows singer Chris Brown, right, arriving at the District of Columbia Superior Court in Washington. After a brief postponement, singer Chris Brown's trial on an assault charge is scheduled to begin in Washington. Brown's trial had been set for Monday but was delayed while lawyers tried to work out whether his bodyguard will testify. It's unclear whether the trial will start Wednesday, as Brown's lawyers seem to want, or if further legal maneuvering will delay it. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Chris Brown assault trial delayed again

A D.C. judge on Wednesday delayed the assault trial for singer Chris Brown, allowing the Grammy winner to return to Los Angeles and giving his attorneys several months to decide how to proceed without the help of a key witness.

April 23, 2014
Kelly Reilly and Connor Corum star in "Heaven Is For Real." The film, based on the best-selling book about a child's near-death experience, brought in $21.5 million at the box office in its opening weekend. (Sony Pictures via Associated Press)

Faith scores again at the box office

Even A-lister Johnny Depp is no match for this year's juggernaut of faith-based films, as the movie "Heaven is for Real" outearned the Hollywood star and ended Easter weekend as the country's third most popular film.

April 21, 2014