On Friday, June 6, 2025, KWTX reported that a judicial complaint against a Waco, Texas magistrate has been dismissed following his recent retirement.
Chief Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a three-page order on May 29, stating that further action on the complaint was unnecessary due to “intervening events” that have concluded the inquiry.
The order refers to the magistrate under investigation as a United States magistrate judge but does not name him directly. However, it is understood that the case pertains to former U.S. Magistrate Jeffrey C. Manske. Manske, who had served in this role since 2001, took indefinite medical leave after an unspecified incident in December 2024 and subsequently received treatment in an in-patient medical facility for several months.
At 63 years old, Manske has now retired “due to permanent disability” and is reportedly under ongoing medical care.
According to the order, Manske did not contest the allegations of judicial misconduct or disability. Manske informed Judge Elrod that he suffers from a condition that prevents him from fulfilling his official duties, linking the alleged inappropriate conduct to his physical and/or mental health issues.
An independent medical evaluation corroborated his claims, highlighting significant permanent impairments that affected his conduct and ability to perform his judicial responsibilities. Manske had presided over various federal criminal and civil cases in Waco and Fort Cavazos. His current eight-year term was set to expire in July 2025.
Since Manske’s leave in December, U.S. Magistrate Derek Gilliland, appointed in April 2022, has assumed his duties.
U.S. District Judge Alan Albright, the only federal district judge in Waco, has announced plans to transfer to Austin once a successor is appointed by President Donald Trump, who nominated Albright to the federal bench in September 2018. Albright has endorsed Gilliland as his successor in Waco.
Source: KWTX
