Texas Judge told Dallas salon owner that until a vaccine for the virus is found, citizens must obey emergency orders-NY Times, 5/5/20

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May 5, 2020, “Dallas Salon Owner Is Jailed for Defying Order to Stay Closed,” NY Times, Neil Vidgor 

“The salon owner, Shelley Luther, was found to be criminally and civilly in contempt of court by Judge Eric V. Moyé of 14th Civil District Court in Dallas County, who said during a hearing that Ms. Luther had acted selfishly when she resumed operations at Salon À La Mode…. 

He also called on her to apologize to the elected officials whose orders she flouted, saying that until a vaccine for the virus is developed, citizens must obey emergency orders…. 

“I have to disagree with you, sir, when you say that I’m selfish, because feeding my kids is not selfish,” Ms. Luther said. “So, sir, if you think the law’s more important than kids getting fed, then please go ahead with your decision. But I am not going to shut the salon.””…

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May 5, 2020, “Salon A La Mode Owner, Shelley Luther Arrested: ‘Feeding My Kids Isn’t Selfish, I’m Not Closing The Salon’,“ dfw.cbslocal.com 

““If you would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge that your own actions were selfish, putting your own interest ahead of those in the community in which you live,” Judge Moyé said, offering her a chance to avoid jail time. He said he would consider only giving her a fine, if she apologized, acknowledged she was wrong, and agreed to keep her business closed until Friday, when the governor has announced all salons may open.”…

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May 8, 2020, “Dallas hair salon owner who defied judge, county orders to close is released from jail,” Washington Post, Meagan Flynn and Hannah Knowles, via SF Gate 

“As [Texas salon owner Shelley] Luther faced criminal and civil contempt-of-court charges, [Judge] Moyé offered her a chance to make things right: She had to admit her actions were selfish and wrong and that she would follow the law.
On each condition, Luther refused. 

“I have to disagree with you, sir, when you say that I’m selfish, because feeding my kids is not selfish,” she said in court Tuesday, CBS DFW reported. “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 down the salon.” 

He sentenced Luther to seven days in jail.”…
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5/5/20, “‘Feeding My Kids is Not Selfish’: Salon Owner Sentenced to Jail After Opening Amid Shutdown,” Townhall, Ellie Bufkin 

“[Salon owner Shelley] Luther’s current $7,000 fine consists of two $500 fees per day of defiance from the last order she received to close her salon. The judge ruled on Tuesday that she will continue to pay $1,000 per day until May 8, when salons across the state will be permitted to open once again…. 

By the end of April, Luther had already missed a mortgage payment and had nearly two dozen employees out of work…. 

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.”…
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May 6, 2020, “‘Feeding My Kids Isn’t Selfish’: Salon Owner Gets Jail Time for Reopening in Dallas,” Reason.com, Billy Binion 

“While she noted that she successfully secured a loan from the federal government under the Paycheck Protection Program, that money didn’t come through until May 3….Government officials at the local, state, and federal levels failed to prepare for a world in which they put people out of work in the middle of March but could not provide financial relief to them for more than a month afterward. Luther speaks for many Americans when she says the choice imposed on her—possibly contract or spread COVID-19, or definitely watch her children go without food—necessitated an act of civil disobedience…. 

The sentence imposed is possibly a greater threat to public health than Luther’s disobedience, as America’s jails and prisons are now the country’s largest COVID-19 outbreak centers. And the thousands of dollars in fines is equally merciless, particularly when considering that Luther’s entire case hinged on her inability to provide for her children.”…




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