Shelley Luther, the owner of a hair salon in Dallas, TX, was thrown in jail for opening her salon in defiance of the state’s coronavirus lockdown order. She has been outspoken in her opposition to the restrictions. When she received a cease and desist letter, she tore it up in front of TV cameras. On Tuesday, during a court hearing, Judge Eric Moye said that he would sentence Luther to a fine instead of jail time if she apologized and complied with the order, but she did not. “Feeding my kids is not selfish,” she said. “If you think the law is more important than kids getting fed, then please go ahead with your decision, but I am not going to shut the salon.” The judge found her guilty of contempt of court and sentenced her to a week in jail, calling her defiant actions “open, flagrant, and intentional” and noting that she “expressed no contrition, remorse, or regret.”
Today, however, Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order cancelling the possibility of jail as a punishment for violating the lockdown restrictions, and as a result the Texas Supreme Court ordered Luther to be freed. “Throwing Texans in jail who have had their businesses shut down through no fault of their own is nonsensical, and I will not allow it to happen,” he said.
This is a happy and just result. Salute to Shelley Luther for bravely standing up for her rights, as well as the rights of her employees and customers.