Texas Salon Owner Jailed for COVID Lockdown Violation Wins Seat in Legislature

A former Dallas salon owner who was jailed for re-opening her salon during COVID-19 will now be the next state representative for Texas House District 62. Shelley Luther won the election with nearly 80 percent of the vote.

Luther received nearly 67,000 votes to defeat Democrat challenger Tiffany Drake in the far North Texas legislative seat election.

In April 2020, Breitbart Texas reported that Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins (D) ordered that Luther be jailed for contempt of his order to close her business during the COVID-19 lockdown period.

Dallas police came to her salon several times allegedly responding to complaints about people gathering outside the salon. The store had security guards in place to control access to the store and maintain social distancing, the news outlet reported.

Throughout the morning, Dallas police and fire officials came to the store until they issued her a citation around 1 p.m. If convicted for the citation, Luther could be fined up to $2,000 for her defiance of the judge’s order. In Texas, a county judge is the chief executive of the county government.

Later on Friday, Judge Jenkins issued the cease and desist order directing Luther to close her business until the stay at home order is lifted.

Breitbart reported that Luther was ordered to jail for seven days in May after she defied Jenkins’ cease and desist order.

The move to fine and incarcerate Luther came on the same day that Governor Greg Abbott announced that hair salons will be able to re-open.

“I will not pay the fine,” the defiant salon owner told reporters in April.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called Luther’s jailing by Dallas County an “excessive” action and a “shameful abuse.”

“I find it outrageous and out of touch that during this national pandemic, a judge, in a county that actually released hardened criminals for fear of contracting COVID-19, would jail a mother for operating her hair salon in an attempt to put food on her family’s table,” Attorney General Paxton said in a written statement on Wednesday. “The trial judge did not need to lock up Shelley Luther. His order is a shameful abuse of judicial discretion, which seems like another political stunt in Dallas. He should release Ms. Luther immediately.”

The order to jail the salon owner came from Texas District Court Judge Eric Moyé. Judge Moyé said she must see the errors of her ways and “understand that the society cannot function where one’s own belief in a concept of liberty permits you to flaunt your disdain for the rulings of duly elected officials.”

Governor Abbott followed up, saying, “I join the Attorney General in disagreeing with the excessive action by the Dallas Judge, putting Shelley Luther in jail for seven days. As I have made clear through prior pronouncements, jailing Texans for non-compliance with executive orders should always be the last available option. Compliance with executive orders during this pandemic is important to ensure public safety; however, surely there are less restrictive means to achieving that goal than jailing a Texas mother.”

Fox 4 reported that Luther previously ran for House District 30 and lost to Republican Drew Springer. She then ran for a Republican Primary bid for House District 62 and lost to Reggie Smith.

She went on to defeat Smith in the March 5, 2024 Republican Primary