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Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) Definition

Interstate Commerce Commission was established to regulate the bad habits of railroads. The commission was tasked with overseeing carrier services from state to state. Even though it was the first commission of its kind, it was disbanded in 1995.

A Little More on What is the ICC

After its establishment in 1887, the ICC has already achieved a lot by 1910. ICC had not only succeeded in moderating profit and rates in railroads but also seeing through all the mergers and acquisitions in the sector. The authority of the ICC extended to car companies, oil pipelines, ferries, and all the communication services. Its mandate of regulating the communication services came to an end in 1934 after the establishment of the Federal Communication Commission. ICC was also mandated with the responsibility of dictating rates and the amount of profit of the entire transport industry. All interstate carriers except aircraft were under the regulation of the ICC by 1940. Also, all labor disputes and operations in the railway system were under this commission. Between 1950 and 1960, the ICC played a key role in the implementation of the Supreme Court decision to unify railway roads. The function of safety was taken away from the ICC in 1966. This was after the establishment of the Department of Transportation in 1966. Despite this, ICC was left with the mandate of establishing, regulating and profits until 1980 when The Staggers Rail Act and Motor Carriers Act was enacted. ICC was stripped the majority of its mandates in 1994. Most of its functions were given to the Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, and Surface Transportation Board. The ICC was later disbanded in 1995 after all its functions were transferred to other bodies.

References for Interstate Commerce Commission

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Commerce_Commission
• https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/interstate-commerce-commissio
• https://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/united-states-canada-and-greenland/us-government/interstate-commerce-commission

Academic Research on the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)

• THE INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION AND THE RAILROAD INDUSTRY: A HISTORY OF REGULATORY POLICY., Stone, R. D. (1991). This article examines the Interstate Commerce Commission history and its regulatory policy. 
• The Interstate Commerce Commission--Disintegration of an American Legal Institution, Dempsey, P. S. (1984). Am. UL Rev., 34, 1. Having been regarded as the first and one of the most competent agencies, ICC celebrated its adversary in 1987. The success of this agency is attributed to the way the President chose the commissioners to head this agency. Commissioners selected to head this agency were required to through the integrity test the Supreme Court Judges of the United States underwent. This commission received praise from many quarters for their contribution and fidelity to the law and protection of public interest. During the seventy-fifth adversary of the ICC, Felix Frankfurter, a Supreme Court judge described the ICC as an institution with an unblemished character and fastidious regard to responsibility and had a complete divorcement of the private and public interest. He also acknowledged the agencys commitment to serving the public interest. Over the years, the commission seems to have lost the description of Judge Felix Frankfurter. Within a short period, many observers have changed their view of this commission. What exactly went wrong? This article looks at some of the possible causes of the ICCs downfall
• Thomas M. Cooley and the Interstate Commerce Commission: continuity and change in the doctrine of equal rights, Jones, A. (1966). Political Science Quarterly, 81(4), 602-627. The article looks at interstate commerce commission continuity and the changes in the doctrine of equal rights.
• Cartels and regulation: Late nineteenth-century railroad collusion and the creation of the Interstate Commerce Commission, Ulen, T. S. (1980). The Journal of Economic History, 40(1), 179-181. In this article, we look at how the Interstate Commerce Commission assists in regulating cartels in the late nineteenth century.
• The applied theory of regulation: political economy at the Interstate Commerce Commission, Alexis, M. (1982). Public Choice, 39(1), 5-27. In this article, we look at how the interstate commission regulates the political economy in the US.
• Judicial Review of the Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission, Tollefson, A. M. (1926). Minn. L. Rev., 11, 504. This article looks at various judicial reviews of the Commerce Commission.
• Experiment in Mercantilism: Minimum Rate Regulation by the Interstate Commerce Commission, Boies, D. (1968). Columbia Law Review, 68(4), 599-663. Here, we look at how Interstate Commerce regulates Minimum Rate Regulation.
• Doctrine of Precedents and the Interstate Commerce Commission, Pittman, W. H. (1936). Geo. Wash. L. Rev., 5, 543. This article attempts to look at how Inter Commerce Commission influences the Doctrine of Procedures.
• Special Interests and the Interstate Commerce Commission, II, Herring, E. P. (1933). American Political Science Review, 27(6), 899-917. The Interstate Commerce Commission mandate is enforcing and interpreting various statues, hearing and weighing the evidence and passing judgment after ascertaining all the facts in a case. Its tasks make it difficult to divorce this commission from influencing cases. The commission is tasked with ensuring that economic and political groups do not interfere with court processes in any way. The commission is forced to perform its duties in difficult a difficult environment where the powerful forces try to influence cases in their favor using any means possible. One of its challenges is controlling influences too powerful for them. Through this, the efficiency of justice administration will be reduced hence not serving the public interest as required.
• NEPA in an Era of Economic Deregulation: A Case Study of Environmental Avoidance at the Interstate Commerce Commission, Montange, C. H. (1989). Virginia Environmental Law Journal, 1-44. This article looks Interstate Commerce Commission in an error of Economic Deregulation. It looks at the case study of Environmental Avoidance.
• The interstate commerce commission: An appraisal, Sharfman, I. L. (1937). The Yale Law Journal, 46(6), 915-954. The article looks at how Interstate Commerce influences appraisal.
• Interstate Commerce Commission and the Judicial Enforcement of the Act to Regulate Commerce, Kirchwey, K. W. (1914). Colum. L. Rev., 14, 211. Here we look at how Interstate Commerce contributed to various Judicial Enforcements in an act to regulate commerce.