Shelley Luther

On Sundays I write about individuals who are worthy of our praise and admiration. Shelley Luther is such a woman, as she recently got elected to a State House seat in Texas. These days women are getting elected left and right, so what is so special about this woman, Shelley Luther?
To understand let’s go back to March, 2020 when she was forced to close her hair salon and wasn’t given a clear date on which she could reopen. A local county judge continued to delay the date.
“When he finally pushed it back a final time I just woke up one day and I said, ‘I have to open; my stylists are calling me, they’re not making their mortgage,’” Luther said. Behind on her own mortgage, she reopened her shop in April, but she was arrested and jailed for seven days and ordered to pay $500 for each day the salon was open.
Dallas County Judge Eric Moyé said he would consider a lesser sentence if Luther admitted she was wrong and apologized for what he characterized as her “selfish” actions.
To that Shelley Luther responded, “I have to disagree with you, sir, when you say that I’m selfish, because 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.”
She was thus jailed. Eventually the state Supreme Court ordered that Luther be released after state officials, including Attorney General Ken Paxton, spoke out to support her. She was released from jail on May 7, 2020.
However, Shelley Luther wasn’t finished.
Luther later unsuccessfully ran for state Senate in 2020 then lost to an incumbent Reggie Smith in the 2022 Republican primary for Texas House District 62.
In 2024 she defeated Smith in the March primary and proceeded to the 2024 general election. She ran on issues such as border enforcement, election integrity, and the prohibition of sexual content in public schools.
“Shelley Luther will fight to preserve Texas values, and she won’t back down when things get tough,” her website stated.
On November 5, 2024 Republican Shelley Luther earned 77.7 percent of the vote, beating Democrat Tiffany Drake, who received 22.3 percent, in District 62.
Shelley Luther is to be admired as she is a poster child for perseverance and persistence.
11/24/24