United States Commerce Court
Encyclopedia
The Commerce Court of the United States was a brief-lived federal trial court
. It was created by the Mann-Elkins Act
in 1910 and abolished a mere three years later. The Commerce Court was a specialized court, given jurisdiction over cases arising from orders of the Interstate Commerce Commission
and empowered with judicial review of those orders. The United States Supreme Court was given appellate jurisdiction over the Commerce Court.
The modern United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
, created in 1982, has a purpose similar to the Commerce Court, although the Federal Circuit has broader jurisdiction.
to any appellate court to help relieve the workload.
Once the court was abolished, the four remaining judges of the court served out their lifetime appointment as at-large appellate judges. (The fifth judge of the court, Robert Archbald, had been impeached and removed from office.)
. The court had no chief judge
, and no judge on the court achieved senior status
. All of the judges ended their service with the court upon its abolition, except for Robert Wodrow Archbald, who was impeached and convicted for corrupt practices, specifically soliciting and receiving gifts from persons doing business before the court.
* This column refers only to the judges' terms in the Commerce Court.
Trial court
A trial court or court of first instance is a court in which trials take place. Such courts are said to have original jurisdiction.- In the United States :...
. It was created by the Mann-Elkins Act
Mann-Elkins Act
The Mann–Elkins Act was a 1910 United States federal law that is among the Progressive era reforms. The Act extended the authority of the Interstate Commerce Commission to regulate the telecommunications industry, and designated telephone, telegraph and wireless companies as common...
in 1910 and abolished a mere three years later. The Commerce Court was a specialized court, given jurisdiction over cases arising from orders of the Interstate Commerce Commission
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...
and empowered with judicial review of those orders. The United States Supreme Court was given appellate jurisdiction over the Commerce Court.
The modern United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
-Vacancies and pending nominations:-List of former judges:-Chief judges:Notwithstanding the foregoing, when the court was initially created, Congress had to resolve which chief judge of the predecessor courts would become the first chief judge...
, created in 1982, has a purpose similar to the Commerce Court, although the Federal Circuit has broader jurisdiction.
Organization
The Commerce Court also had one of the more unusual structures in United States judicial history. There were five judges serving staggered five-year terms on the Commerce Court. These judges were, nonetheless, Article III judges, and were to be reassigned to an appellate court when their term on the Commerce Court expired. Moreover, even while they served on the Commerce Court, they also served as an at-large appellate judge and could be assigned by the Chief Justice of the United StatesChief Justice of the United States
The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Chief Justice is one of nine Supreme Court justices; the other eight are the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States...
to any appellate court to help relieve the workload.
Once the court was abolished, the four remaining judges of the court served out their lifetime appointment as at-large appellate judges. (The fifth judge of the court, Robert Archbald, had been impeached and removed from office.)
Judges
All of the judges who served on the Commerce Court were appointed by President William Howard TaftWilliam Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
. The court had no chief judge
Chief judge
Chief Judge is a title that can refer to the highest-ranking judge of a court that has more than one judge. The meaning and usage of the term vary from one court system to another...
, and no judge on the court achieved senior status
Senior status
Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges, and judges in some state court systems. After federal judges have reached a certain combination of age and years of service on the federal courts, they are allowed to assume senior status...
. All of the judges ended their service with the court upon its abolition, except for Robert Wodrow Archbald, who was impeached and convicted for corrupt practices, specifically soliciting and receiving gifts from persons doing business before the court.
| Judge | State | Born/Died | Began active service* |
Ended active service |
| Martin Augustine Knapp | NY New York New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east... |
1843 – 1923 | 1910 | 1913 |
| Robert Wodrow Archbald | PA Pennsylvania The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to... |
1848 – 1926 | 1911 | 1913 |
| John Emmett Carland John Emmett Carland John Emmett Carland was a United States federal judge.Born in Oswego County, New York, Carland attended the University of Michigan, and read law in 1877 to enter the Bar. He entered private practice in Bismarck, in what was then Dakota Territory, and was also city attorney of Bismarck and county... |
SD South Dakota South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over... |
1853 – 1922 | 1911 | 1913 |
| William Henry Hunt William Henry Hunt (judge) William Henry Hunt was a state and federal judge and a territorial governor of Puerto Rico.-Early law practice:... |
MT Montana Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,... |
1857 – 1949 | 1911 | 1913 |
| Julian William Mack Julian Mack Julian William Mack was a United States federal judge and social reformer.-Early life and education:... |
IL Illinois Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,... |
1866 – 1943 | 1911 | 1913 |
External links
- Records of the United States Commerce Court - National Archives
- Federal Judicial Center
- The Commerce Court – a defense of the court written by Assistant Attorney General James Alexander FowlerJames Alexander FowlerJames Alexander Fowler was an American lawyer who served in various capacities as an Assistant Attorney General and Special Assistant to the U.S. Attorney General from 1908 to 1914, and from 1921 to 1926...
- Houston Railway v. United States (1916) - HistoryCentral.com