Thread by @TexasTribune

.@GovAbbott and @KenPaxtonTX said 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.

Thread: bit.ly/3fsNdlN

2/ Paxton’s statement today pointed to @GovAbbott’s newest directive, which will allow hair salons and barber shops to reopen under certain guidelines.

But that directive doesn’t take effect until this Friday. bit.ly/3fsNdlN

3/ Soon after Paxton's statement, Gov. Abbott issued one that said he disagreed “with the excessive action” by the judge and suggested "there are less restrictive means" than jailing Luther while ensuring public safety during the pandemic. bit.ly/3fsNdlN

4/ Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said after Gov. Abbott's statement that the Luther sentencing is "unacceptable" and offered to take her place by being in house arrest for a week "so she can go back to work." bit.ly/3fsNdlN

5/ Similar violations against stay-at-home orders have been reported in other parts of the state, but they have not generated the same amount of attention from top state officials as Shelley Luther’s case. bit.ly/3fsNdlN

6/ In Laredo, two women allegedly violated the community's emergency management plan for offering beauty and cosmetic services from home.

Both were arrested last month and charged with violating the plan. bit.ly/3fsNdlN

7/ @lmtnews reported that the charge carried a punishment of up to 180 days in jail, a $2,000 fine or both. bit.ly/3fsNdlN

8/ As the Dallas situation has intensified, Luther has become a galvanizing figure for some Republicans who have rallied around the salon owner, arguing that individual liberties have been infringed. bit.ly/3fsNdlN

9/9 Some Democrats emphasized that Luther violated multiple orders and said that Republicans’ "outrage" over the salon owner was not consistent with their previous attitudes toward other incarcerated people. bit.ly/3fsNdlN