District Judge Jeffry Jack, whose nomination to the Kansas Court of Appeals was derailed by his angry Twitter posts, is retiring.
The Labette County judge announced his retirement Friday morning, just months after he was rejected for a post on the appeals court.
“I have been privileged to be trusted by the people of the 11th Judicial District to serve them for 14 years as a district court judge,” Jack said in a statement.
“It is at the trial court where Kansans go to resolve disputes and seek justice, and I am honored to have been able to make a contribution.”
Jack’s retirement is effective Jan. 2. He has accepted a position as area director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Douglas County and will work in Lawrence.
Last March, Gov. Laura Kelly appointed Jack to the Kansas Court of Appeals. She later abandoned the nomination after Jack’s angry, and sometimes profane, Twitter posts directed at conservative politicians were revealed, costing him Senate confirmation.
The governor moved ahead with a new nominee – Lawrence attorney Sarah Warner – after the Senate rejected Jack’s nomination 38-0.
Jack, meanwhile, never showed any sign of backing down even as lawmakers were asking for an ethics investigation into his conduct.
He lashed out at his critics in the state Senate, namely Senate President Susan Wagle. He said he would be “happy” to match his record against theirs.
“I will continue to do my job and apply the law to the facts without personal bias or partisan advantage,” Jack said at the time.
Senators had prepared a letter asking the Commission on Judicial Conduct to examine whether Jack’s tweets violated two judicial canons requiring judges to remain impartial.
Before becoming a judge, Jack served in the Kansas House from 2003 to 2005 and was vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee in 2005. He was appointed to the bench by former Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.
Jack was in private law practice from 1989 to 2005. He served in the U.S. Army Reserve and Kansas Army National Guard for 20 years, retiring as major.
The judge graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1987 after earning a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in 1983.
