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A pandemic-era court case just became a Texas political comeback story.In May 2020, Dallas salon owner Shelley Luther was sentenced to 7 days in jail after reopening Salon à la Mode in defiance of COVID shutdown orders. A Dallas County judge found her in contempt after she refused to close the salon, saying the court’s order had been violated openly and intentionally.Luther told the judge she had reopened because she needed to support her family and her stylists. Her line, “Feeding my kids is not selfish,” became one of the most repeated quotes from the lockdown fights of 2020.The case quickly became national news. Supporters saw her as a small business owner pushed too far by pandemic restrictions. Critics argued that court orders and public health rules had to be followed during a public emergency.Texas Gov. Greg Abbott later called the punishment “excessive” and changed his executive order so confinement could not be used as punishment for violating those COVID mitigation rules. The Texas Supreme Court then ordered Luther released after she had served about 2 days.Luther later moved into politics. After losing a 2020 state Senate runoff and a 2022 Republican primary for Texas House District 62, she defeated incumbent Reggie Smith in the 2024 GOP primary. That November, she defeated Democrat Tiffany Drake with more than 75 percent of the vote.She took office in January 2025 representing District 62, which covers Grayson, Franklin, Fannin and Delta counties, and she is running again in 2026.Looking back now, do you think sentencing a small business owner to jail for staying open was the right call?#TexasPolitics #ShelleyLuther #COVIDHistory #SmallBusinessSources: FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth, 10News, ABC News, CNN, BBC News