A Dallas salon owner who was imprisoned for refusing to shut down her business despite Texas’ stay-at-home order got released after two days.
Texas Supreme Court ordered Shelley Luther to be released, while Texas governor Greg Abbott changed his executive orders.
Luther, who runs Salon A La Mode, was to serve 7 days in prison. Her imprisonment stirred massive controversy within Texas, which has always touted itself as a small government state.
As per the Texas Supreme Court’s decision, Luther walked out into the streets, where her supporters warmly greeted and cheered for her. The Daily Mail reports that many were holding balloons and banners, with someone in the crowd shouting “Shelley’s free”.
Shelley clearly seemed emotional as she struggled to contain her tears. She expressed her gratitude for the people that were waiting for her, and said that it was truly an overwhelming experience.
Texas Supreme Court’s decision to release Luther has not been without controversy. Gov. Abbott reworded his orders so that Texans will not be imprisoned for violating lockdown measures. When the court initially decided to imprison Luther, Abbott had denounced the ruling as being “nonsensical”.
Abbott argued that he found it weird that the court would release major criminals citing the spread of the virus while imprisoning people like Luther. He also asked that two other women who are currently doing their sentence for the same action as Luther be released.
The governor was not the only state official that asked Luther to be released. His Lt. Governor Dan Patrick said that he would pay Luther’s fines himself it it comes to that. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said that the judge had crossed his line by sentencing Luther to prison.
Protestors who perceived national lockdown measures as draconian were the ones who actively supported the release of the salon owner. An online fundraiser for this cause managed to raise over half a million dollars.
The protestors lauded the Texas Supreme Court’s decision, saying that no citizen should be imprisoned for resisting an order that put their livelihoods at risk. Luther had rejected the judge’s offer to offer an apology, saying that she opened her salon to feed her children.
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Replaced!