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Dallas Salon Owner Released From Jail After Texas Supreme Court Order

Salon owner Shelley Luther, center right, walks with her boyfriend Tim Georgeff, left, and lawyer Warren Norred after she was released from jail in Dallas, Thursday, May 7, 2020. Luther was jailed for refusing to keep her business closed amid concerns of the spread of COVID-19. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
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By Tré Goins-Phillips
Editor

May 7, 2020

After spending two days behind bars, the Dallas salon owner jailed for reopening her business has been released from custody.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), and state Attorney General Ken Paxton all came to Shelley Luther’s defense earlier this week after Judge Eric Moyé sentenced her to seven days in jail for opening Salon à La Mode during the coronavirus pandemic.

On Thursday morning, the Texas Supreme Court ordered Luther to be released from state custody one day after Paxton called Moyé’s sentence “outrageous and out of touch.”

WATCH: The moment Dallas salon owner Shelley Luther was released from jail Thursday. She was met by a large crowd of supporters.

FOR MORE: https://t.co/DmP1ydMzuH pic.twitter.com/C9jxwcu1ON

— CBSDFW (@CBSDFW) May 7, 2020

The judge originally sentenced Luther to a week in jail and slapped her with a $7,000 fine — a fee Patrick offered to pay — after she defiantly opened the doors of her salon due to financial strain caused by the state-mandated closures in March of “nonessential” businesses.

When Moyé suggested Luther had reopened her business for selfish reasons, the entrepreneur responded, “Feeding my kids is not selfish. 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 getting fed, then please, go ahead with your decision, but I am not going to shut the salon.”

Jailed Texas Hair Salon Owner: ‘Feeding My Kids Is Not Selfish’

Warren Norred, who has represented Luther, said his client’s arrest was “unlawful.” Abbott, likewise, called the salon owner’s imprisonment “nonsensical.”

Luther’s release from jail comes on day after former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) visited Salon à La Mode to show her support.

Sarah Palin visited Dallas salon at center of controversy while the owner served jail time for refusing to close https://t.co/eNRsqlM6VT pic.twitter.com/Fc3WhdO6Zq

— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 7, 2020

When Luther was released Thursday afternoon, a smattering of supporters met her outside the jail, where she held a brief press conference.

“I’m a little overwhelmed,” she said, tearing up. “I just want to thank all of you who I just barely met and now you’re all my friends. You mean so much to me. Thank you so, so much.”

Supporters have also set up a GoFundMe page for Luther, which has garnered more than half a million dollars in contributions.

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