Texas Supreme Court orders Dallas salon owner released from jail
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This story will be regularly updated.
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Gov. Greg Abbott said Texans can't be jailed for violating statewide executive orders as some businesses are allowed to reopen.
The governor pointed to a Dallas salon owner who is currently jailed for criminal contempt of court after she violated a temporary restraining order issued by a state district judge.
Abbott said he is modifying his executive orders, eliminating jail as a punishment for anyone who violates his rule.
Abbott issued a variation of a stay-at-home order March 31 that expired April 30. Non-essential businesses were closed and gatherings were limited.
The governor announced a phased reopening plan that began May 1, but he amended those plans Tuesday, allowing salons and barbershops to reopen Friday.
But one salon in Dallas reopened even before the statewide stay-at-home order was lifted.
The owner of Salon a la Mode, Shelley Luther, was issued a citation and then sent a cease and desist letter by Dallas County officials. The salon remained open.
The City of Dallas sought a temporary restraining order forcing the salon to close, which a state district judge granted.
In a hearing Tuesday afternoon, State District Judge Eric Moye found Luther to be in criminal contempt of court. He ordered her to pay thousands in fines and sentenced her to seven days in jail.
Abbott said in a written statement Thursday that he believes his change to his executive orders should allow Luther to be released from jail.
The governor also referenced two women arrested in Laredo who allegedly violated the community's emergency management plan for offering beauty and cosmetic services from home.
Ana Isabel Castro-Garcia and Brenda Stephanie Mata were arrested on misdemeanor charges.
© Provided by WFAA-TV Dallas-Ft. WorthTop Texas officials denounce Dallas salon owner's jail sentence for defying orders to close Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton said Wednesday that the seven-day jail sentence a Dallas salon owner received for defying orders to keep her business closed was excessive - with Paxton calling for Shelley Luther's immediate release. "I find it outrageous and out of touch that during this national pandemic, a judge ... The Texas Tribune|May 06, 2020
"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 in a statement Thursday.
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I'm glad she'll be released.
Judge Andrew Napolitano accurately and succinctly described the judge as "a two-bit political hack in a black robe".
The judge followed the law and he punished her for contempt of court, once publicly, once in his courtroom after he asked her to be reasonable.
There was a complaint. Most likely by a salon that stayed closed.
A cease and desist was issued by a sheriff. The plaintiff made a public display of civil disobedience complete with press conference.
The judge offered a compromise. The plaintiff refused.
Napolitano has done the same thing innumerable times, sad to see him say anything like that against a fellow judge.
I am a little curious about the $7,000 fine. Will she still be required to pay that?
Well if they do that, should they then block her from the $500,405 they raised on Go Fund Me?
Just thinking out loud, that's a lot of sympathy.
Too bad she will miss this election cycle. Would have been interesting.
I had no idea there was a go fund me for her. I guess I haven’t been following it as closely as you have.
No way - that's for the aggravation!
The Judge should be defeated in the next election!
If you lived in DFW it would be unavoidable.
It's not surprising there are go fund me's for lots of people. They are easy to start and Americans do seem to be a generous lot.
It didn’t even cross my mind at first but you are correct, there are go fund me’s for everything. I have even donated to a few myself.
I bet it is.
Idiots and their money are soon parted.
Funny that everyone is so broke and poor and has to go back to work yet they could raise that much money very quickly.
Indeed.
What is ironic, they are giving money to a woman that never stopped working or closed shop.
Here is to the Texas Supreme Court:
Moot point, the Governor already had changed the EO retroactively.
But enjoy Shelly's moment.
You don't ?
All she wanted was to "Work" so her and her employee's could " Feed THEIR KIDS " !
You don't care about " THE KIDS " ?
If the "Border" kids are so important, the real "U.S. Citizen Kids" should be too !
Interesting interview on Hannity last night.
She never mentions, feeding the kids, her issues are with Clay Jenkins, Dallas County Supervisor
and the fact that she hasn't received any PPP or stimulus $$.
She has no employees, she rents space or collects commissions from 19 stylists,
so she was "doing it for them".
Ummmmm….she already "DID", in court, in front of the "Judge" that wanted her to grovel in front of him to avoid Jail Time.
Say you're SORRY.....Say It.....SAY IT !
Did you miss those vids that were all over the TV ?
She also said that her stylists asked her about privately going to clients' homes, and she told them it wouldn't be as safe as in the salon. Why did you omit that part?
The Judge wanted her, ( in her own words on Hannity ),
to apologize to Clay Jenkins, Dallas County Supervisor, she said she could not.
She also told the Judge, that she did it so that she and her stylists could feed their children.
The groveling nonsense is just emotional journalistic theatrics.
She is know locally for rescuing horses and currently has a menagerie that includes 6 horses,
3 mini horses/ponies lemurs, wallabys, cats and dogs. Those are the children she can't afford to feed...
"THE"....Deflect !
Love it !
"You owe an apology to the elected officials whom you disrespected by flagrantly ignoring and, in one case, defiling, their orders, which you now know obviously applied to you," Moye continued . He detailed her disrespect in choosing to open her business and called her actions "selfish," as she ignored multiple public and individual mandates to cease business at her salon .
"I have to disagree with you, sir, when you say that I am selfish because feeding my kids is not selfish," Luther said. "I have hair stylists that are going hungry because they'd rather feed their kids. So sir, if you think the law is more important than kids being fed, then please go ahead with your decision. But I'm not going to shut the salon." After Luther's refusal to parrot the judge's suggestion for a groveling apology and refusal to, once again, put her employees out of work, the court bailiff took Luther away.
It "WAS" all about …. "Making an Apology" to top "Officials" (The judge told Shelley Luther she
could avoid jail time if she apologized, admitted she was wrong, and agreed to close her hair salon until it was allowed to open.).
oh.....she was doing it for..... "THE KIDS".
But "Deflect away.
Omit the fact that she cannot collect fees from them if they don't use her "safe" place?
What else was omitted from the tragic tale of Shelly Luther?
What of the other two Latino women arrested the week before?
Why did they not "attract" the media attention that Shelly did?
Ridiculous comment and deflections not worthy of more than this response. Keep safe, SP, and remember to wear a mask!
that gave me a Sam Kinison flashback
World Hunger ...… OH....OOH.…..OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH !
Ridiculous comments? Come to Texas and experience the Justice system first hand.
These women two were arrested 04/15 as the result of a social media sting by the Laredo PD for soliciting in home hair styling and/or nails during the pandemic shut down.
Governor Abbott's new guidelines will insure that they are no longer subject to the potential 180 days in jail, fines may still apply, just like Ms, Luther.
This woman was arrested after it was determined that she was still on probation when she filled out a provisional ballot that was never counted. On March 28, 2018, Judge Ruben Gonzalez sentenced Ms. Mason to five years in prison for “voting illegally as a felon on probation,” and more recently turned down Ms. Mason’s bid for a new trial. Ms. Mason has always maintained that she was unaware that her name had been purged from electoral roll and was ineligible to vote in the 2016 presidential election. Ms. Mason and her legal team are working together to appeal the decision to a higher court.
After one year in jail, her go fund me page for her home mortgage has raised $59,000.00
This woman, defied the Governor, the County Supervisor, the 14th District Court, doubled down in court
and raised $500,000.00 on Go Fund me in less than a week. I wonder why?
She has been released from jail but still faces fines and additional hearings as the Texas Supreme Court agreed to look at the case.