Shelly Luther, who is in custody at the Lew Sterrett Justice Center in Dallas, received the public support of Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
State District Judge Eric Moye sentenced Luther to seven days in jail on contempt of court charges for disobeying a temporary restraining order that prevented her from operating her business.
“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,” Abbott said earlier this week after she was jailed.
Texas started allowing restaurants and retailers to reopen last week under limited capacity, but it won’t be until mid-May until barbershops and salons can open.
Luther, meanwhile, was cited last month for keeping her hair salon open despite state and local stay-at-home orders to keep businesses deemed nonessential closed.
“I couldn’t feed my family, and my stylists couldn’t feed their families,” Luther testified in court on Tuesday. She said she had applied for a federal loan but didn’t get it until Sunday.
“Feeding my kids is not selfish,” she told Judge Moye, according to news reports. “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.”
Moye then wrote that she defied the court in an “open” and “flagrant” manner. Luther also “expressed no contrition, remorse or regret” for keeping her business open, he claimed.
