Texas Supreme Court frees hair salon owner from jail after she defied shutdown orders

The Texas Supreme Court has ordered the release of a salon owner who was jailed after she defied coronavirus shutdown orders.

Shelley Luther of Dallas violated state laws by reopening her business, which was deemed non-essential, because she wanted to “to put food on her family’s table”.

Dallas County Judge Eric Moye sentenced the woman a week-long stint behind bars for breaking the law on Tuesday, which sparked outrage throughout the country.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court for the state ordered for Ms Luther to be released from jail, and she’s expected to leave later this afternoon.

The Court’s decision came after Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order that no resident should be jailed as punishment for breaking shutdown orders during the pandemic.

Attorney General Ken Paxton also spoke out against the decision to jail the woman, calling it a “shameful abuse of discretion”.

Mr Abbott echoed the attorney general’s sentiments.

“I join the Attorney General in disagreeing with the excessive action by the Dallas Judge, putting Shelley Luther in jail for seven days,” the governor said in a statement. “As I have made clear through prior pronouncements, jailing Texans for non-compliance with executive orders should always be the last available option.”

Judge Moye’s found Ms Luther in criminal and civil contempt because she refused to stop operating her hair salon when she appeared in front of the court.

“The defiance of the court’s order was open, flagrant and intentional,” he wrote Tuesday. “The defendants, although having been given an opportunity to do so, have expressed no contrition, remorse or regret for their contemptuous action.”

It was announced Texas would begin opening back up its state, which included allowing for businesses like hair salons to open Friday with social distancing rules in effect.

The state has more than 35,000 confirmed infections and 1,011 deaths.