diff --git a/x/bank/client/cli/tx.go b/x/bank/client/cli/tx.go
index 92341a371a..3925da6379 100644
--- a/x/bank/client/cli/tx.go
+++ b/x/bank/client/cli/tx.go
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/client/context"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/client/flags"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/client/tx"
-	clientx "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/client/tx"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/codec"
 	sdk "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth"
@@ -57,7 +56,7 @@ func NewSendTxCmd(m codec.Marshaler, txg tx.Generator, ar tx.AccountRetriever) *
 			}
 
 			msg := types.NewMsgSend(cliCtx.GetFromAddress(), toAddr, coins)
-			return clientx.GenerateOrBroadcastTx(cliCtx, txf, msg)
+			return tx.GenerateOrBroadcastTx(cliCtx, txf, msg)
 		},
 	}
 
diff --git a/x/slashing/client/cli/tx.go b/x/slashing/client/cli/tx.go
index 4233d5c7a0..9d8ea841d2 100644
--- a/x/slashing/client/cli/tx.go
+++ b/x/slashing/client/cli/tx.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/client"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/client/context"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/client/flags"
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/client/tx"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/codec"
 	sdk "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth"
@@ -15,7 +16,55 @@ import (
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/slashing/types"
 )
 
+// NewTxCmd returns a root CLI command handler for all x/slashing transaction commands.
+func NewTxCmd(m codec.Marshaler, txg tx.Generator, ar tx.AccountRetriever) *cobra.Command {
+	slashingTxCmd := &cobra.Command{
+		Use:                        types.ModuleName,
+		Short:                      "Bank transaction subcommands",
+		DisableFlagParsing:         true,
+		SuggestionsMinimumDistance: 2,
+		RunE:                       client.ValidateCmd,
+	}
+
+	slashingTxCmd.AddCommand(NewUnjailTxCmd(m, txg, ar))
+	return slashingTxCmd
+}
+
+func NewUnjailTxCmd(m codec.Marshaler, txg tx.Generator, ar tx.AccountRetriever) *cobra.Command {
+	cmd := &cobra.Command{
+		Use:   "unjail",
+		Args:  cobra.NoArgs,
+		Short: "unjail validator previously jailed for downtime",
+		Long: `unjail a jailed validator:
+
+$ <appcli> tx slashing unjail --from mykey
+`,
+		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+			inBuf := bufio.NewReader(cmd.InOrStdin())
+			txf := tx.NewFactoryFromCLI(inBuf).
+				WithTxGenerator(txg).
+				WithAccountRetriever(ar)
+
+			cliCtx := context.NewCLIContextWithInputAndFrom(inBuf, args[0]).WithMarshaler(m)
+
+			valAddr := cliCtx.GetFromAddress()
+			msg := types.NewMsgUnjail(sdk.ValAddress(valAddr))
+			return tx.GenerateOrBroadcastTx(cliCtx, txf, msg)
+		},
+	}
+	return flags.PostCommands(cmd)[0]
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Deprecated
+//
+// TODO: Remove once client-side Protobuf migration has been completed.
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
 // GetTxCmd returns the transaction commands for this module
+//
+// TODO: Remove once client-side Protobuf migration has been completed.
+// ref: https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/issues/5864
 func GetTxCmd(cdc *codec.Codec) *cobra.Command {
 	slashingTxCmd := &cobra.Command{
 		Use:                        types.ModuleName,
@@ -33,6 +82,9 @@ func GetTxCmd(cdc *codec.Codec) *cobra.Command {
 }
 
 // GetCmdUnjail implements the create unjail validator command.
+//
+// TODO: Remove once client-side Protobuf migration has been completed.
+// ref: https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/issues/5864
 func GetCmdUnjail(cdc *codec.Codec) *cobra.Command {
 	return &cobra.Command{
 		Use:   "unjail",
diff --git a/x/slashing/client/rest/rest.go b/x/slashing/client/rest/rest.go
index 4237d59e25..d4c500f84c 100644
--- a/x/slashing/client/rest/rest.go
+++ b/x/slashing/client/rest/rest.go
@@ -4,8 +4,15 @@ import (
 	"github.com/gorilla/mux"
 
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/client/context"
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/client/tx"
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/codec"
 )
 
+func RegisterHandlers(ctx context.CLIContext, m codec.Marshaler, txg tx.Generator, r *mux.Router) {
+	registerQueryRoutes(ctx, r)
+	registerTxHandlers(ctx, m, txg, r)
+}
+
 // RegisterRoutes registers staking-related REST handlers to a router
 func RegisterRoutes(cliCtx context.CLIContext, r *mux.Router) {
 	registerQueryRoutes(cliCtx, r)
diff --git a/x/slashing/client/rest/tx.go b/x/slashing/client/rest/tx.go
index 9498ea8ba5..f0ce72c6ae 100644
--- a/x/slashing/client/rest/tx.go
+++ b/x/slashing/client/rest/tx.go
@@ -7,17 +7,16 @@ import (
 	"github.com/gorilla/mux"
 
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/client/context"
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/client/tx"
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/codec"
 	sdk "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types/rest"
 	authclient "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth/client"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/slashing/types"
 )
 
-func registerTxRoutes(cliCtx context.CLIContext, r *mux.Router) {
-	r.HandleFunc(
-		"/slashing/validators/{validatorAddr}/unjail",
-		unjailRequestHandlerFn(cliCtx),
-	).Methods("POST")
+func registerTxHandlers(ctx context.CLIContext, m codec.Marshaler, txg tx.Generator, r *mux.Router) {
+	r.HandleFunc("/slashing/validators/{validatorAddr}/unjail", NewUnjailRequestHandlerFn(ctx, m, txg)).Methods("POST")
 }
 
 // Unjail TX body
@@ -25,6 +24,64 @@ type UnjailReq struct {
 	BaseReq rest.BaseReq `json:"base_req" yaml:"base_req"`
 }
 
+// NewUnjailRequestHandlerFn returns an HTTP REST handler for creating a MsgUnjail
+// transaction.
+func NewUnjailRequestHandlerFn(ctx context.CLIContext, m codec.Marshaler, txg tx.Generator) http.HandlerFunc {
+	return func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		ctx = ctx.WithMarshaler(m)
+		vars := mux.Vars(r)
+		bech32Validator := vars["validatorAddr"]
+
+		var req UnjailReq
+		if !rest.ReadRESTReq(w, r, ctx.Marshaler, &req) {
+			return
+		}
+
+		req.BaseReq = req.BaseReq.Sanitize()
+		if !req.BaseReq.ValidateBasic(w) {
+			return
+		}
+
+		fromAddr, err := sdk.AccAddressFromBech32(req.BaseReq.From)
+		if err != nil {
+			rest.WriteErrorResponse(w, http.StatusBadRequest, err.Error())
+			return
+		}
+
+		valAddr, err := sdk.ValAddressFromBech32(bech32Validator)
+		if err != nil {
+			rest.WriteErrorResponse(w, http.StatusInternalServerError, err.Error())
+			return
+		}
+
+		if !bytes.Equal(fromAddr, valAddr) {
+			rest.WriteErrorResponse(w, http.StatusUnauthorized, "must use own validator address")
+			return
+		}
+
+		msg := types.NewMsgUnjail(valAddr)
+		err = msg.ValidateBasic()
+		if err != nil {
+			rest.WriteErrorResponse(w, http.StatusBadRequest, err.Error())
+			return
+		}
+		tx.WriteGeneratedTxResponse(ctx, w, txg, req.BaseReq, msg)
+	}
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Deprecated
+//
+// TODO: Remove once client-side Protobuf migration has been completed.
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// ref: https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/issues/5864
+func registerTxRoutes(cliCtx context.CLIContext, r *mux.Router) {
+	r.HandleFunc(
+		"/slashing/validators/{validatorAddr}/unjail",
+		unjailRequestHandlerFn(cliCtx),
+	).Methods("POST")
+}
+
 func unjailRequestHandlerFn(cliCtx context.CLIContext) http.HandlerFunc {
 	return func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		vars := mux.Vars(r)