Congress created the Commerce Court in 1910 to hear appeals from decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission, which was established in 1887 to regulate the nation’s railroads. The court had five judges who were to serve staggered terms of one to five years and were to serve simultaneously on the U.S. circuit courts and U.S. circuit courts of appeals. The circuit judgeships were at-large, with the president making the initial circuit appointments and the Chief Justice of the United States granted the authority to reassign the judges to different circuits. The Commerce Court proved controversial, and Congress abolished it in 1913, transferring its jurisdiction to the U.S. district courts. The judges of the court continued to serve on the courts of appeals, with the exception of Robert Archbald, who was impeached and convicted earlier in 1913.
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