diff --git a/certifiers/client/provider.go b/certifiers/client/provider.go
index d4c170ce9..6240da11c 100644
--- a/certifiers/client/provider.go
+++ b/certifiers/client/provider.go
@@ -89,6 +89,10 @@ func (p *provider) GetLatestCommit() (*ctypes.ResultCommit, error) {
 	return p.node.Commit(&status.LatestBlockHeight)
 }
 
+func CommitFromResult(result *ctypes.ResultCommit) certifiers.Commit {
+	return (certifiers.Commit)(result.SignedHeader)
+}
+
 func (p *provider) seedFromVals(vals *ctypes.ResultValidators) (certifiers.FullCommit, error) {
 	// now get the commits and build a full commit
 	commit, err := p.node.Commit(&vals.BlockHeight)
@@ -96,14 +100,14 @@ func (p *provider) seedFromVals(vals *ctypes.ResultValidators) (certifiers.FullC
 		return certifiers.FullCommit{}, err
 	}
 	fc := certifiers.NewFullCommit(
-		certifiers.CommitFromResult(commit),
+		CommitFromResult(commit),
 		types.NewValidatorSet(vals.Validators),
 	)
 	return fc, nil
 }
 
 func (p *provider) seedFromCommit(commit *ctypes.ResultCommit) (fc certifiers.FullCommit, err error) {
-	fc.Commit = certifiers.CommitFromResult(commit)
+	fc.Commit = CommitFromResult(commit)
 
 	// now get the proper validators
 	vals, err := p.node.Validators(&commit.Header.Height)
diff --git a/certifiers/commit.go b/certifiers/commit.go
index 3c37b8599..464a48ba2 100644
--- a/certifiers/commit.go
+++ b/certifiers/commit.go
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 
-	rtypes "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/rpc/core/types"
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/types"
 
 	certerr "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/certifiers/errors"
@@ -14,46 +13,42 @@ import (
 // Certifier checks the votes to make sure the block really is signed properly.
 // Certifier must know the current set of validitors by some other means.
 type Certifier interface {
-	Certify(check *Commit) error
+	Certify(check Commit) error
 	ChainID() string
 }
 
-// *Commit is basically the rpc /commit response, but extended
+// Commit is basically the rpc /commit response, but extended
 //
 // This is the basepoint for proving anything on the blockchain. It contains
 // a signed header.  If the signatures are valid and > 2/3 of the known set,
 // we can store this checkpoint and use it to prove any number of aspects of
 // the system: such as txs, abci state, validator sets, etc...
-type Commit rtypes.ResultCommit
+type Commit types.SignedHeader
 
 // FullCommit is a commit and the actual validator set,
 // the base info you need to update to a given point,
 // assuming knowledge of some previous validator set
 type FullCommit struct {
-	*Commit    `json:"commit"`
+	Commit     `json:"commit"`
 	Validators *types.ValidatorSet `json:"validator_set"`
 }
 
-func NewFullCommit(commit *Commit, vals *types.ValidatorSet) FullCommit {
+func NewFullCommit(commit Commit, vals *types.ValidatorSet) FullCommit {
 	return FullCommit{
 		Commit:     commit,
 		Validators: vals,
 	}
 }
 
-func CommitFromResult(commit *rtypes.ResultCommit) *Commit {
-	return (*Commit)(commit)
-}
-
-func (c *Commit) Height() int {
-	if c == nil || c.Header == nil {
+func (c Commit) Height() int {
+	if c.Header == nil {
 		return 0
 	}
 	return c.Header.Height
 }
 
-func (c *Commit) ValidatorsHash() []byte {
-	if c == nil || c.Header == nil {
+func (c Commit) ValidatorsHash() []byte {
+	if c.Header == nil {
 		return nil
 	}
 	return c.Header.ValidatorsHash
@@ -64,7 +59,7 @@ func (c *Commit) ValidatorsHash() []byte {
 //
 // Make sure to use a Verifier to validate the signatures actually provide
 // a significantly strong proof for this header's validity.
-func (c *Commit) ValidateBasic(chainID string) error {
+func (c Commit) ValidateBasic(chainID string) error {
 	// make sure the header is reasonable
 	if c.Header == nil {
 		return errors.New("Commit missing header")
diff --git a/certifiers/dynamic.go b/certifiers/dynamic.go
index a9c1a54f0..b40177949 100644
--- a/certifiers/dynamic.go
+++ b/certifiers/dynamic.go
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ func (c *Dynamic) LastHeight() int {
 }
 
 // Certify handles this with
-func (c *Dynamic) Certify(check *Commit) error {
+func (c *Dynamic) Certify(check Commit) error {
 	err := c.cert.Certify(check)
 	if err == nil {
 		// update last seen height if input is valid
diff --git a/certifiers/files/provider.go b/certifiers/files/provider.go
index 8b5c23de6..9dcfb1691 100644
--- a/certifiers/files/provider.go
+++ b/certifiers/files/provider.go
@@ -2,11 +2,11 @@
 Package files defines a Provider that stores all data in the filesystem
 
 We assume the same validator hash may be reused by many different
-headers/*Commits, and thus store it separately. This leaves us
+headers/Commits, and thus store it separately. This leaves us
 with three issues:
 
   1. Given a validator hash, retrieve the validator set if previously stored
-  2. Given a block height, find the *Commit with the highest height <= h
+  2. Given a block height, find the Commit with the highest height <= h
   3. Given a FullCommit, store it quickly to satisfy 1 and 2
 
 Note that we do not worry about caching, as that can be achieved by
diff --git a/certifiers/helper.go b/certifiers/helper.go
index 09c60775e..6f2daa63b 100644
--- a/certifiers/helper.go
+++ b/certifiers/helper.go
@@ -122,28 +122,26 @@ func genHeader(chainID string, height int, txs types.Txs,
 	}
 }
 
-// GenCommit calls genHeader and signHeader and combines them into a *Commit
+// GenCommit calls genHeader and signHeader and combines them into a Commit
 func (v ValKeys) GenCommit(chainID string, height int, txs types.Txs,
-	vals *types.ValidatorSet, appHash []byte, first, last int) *Commit {
+	vals *types.ValidatorSet, appHash []byte, first, last int) Commit {
 
 	header := genHeader(chainID, height, txs, vals, appHash)
-	check := &Commit{
-		Header:          header,
-		Commit:          v.signHeader(header, first, last),
-		CanonicalCommit: true,
+	check := Commit{
+		Header: header,
+		Commit: v.signHeader(header, first, last),
 	}
 	return check
 }
 
-// GenFullCommit calls genHeader and signHeader and combines them into a *Commit
+// GenFullCommit calls genHeader and signHeader and combines them into a Commit
 func (v ValKeys) GenFullCommit(chainID string, height int, txs types.Txs,
 	vals *types.ValidatorSet, appHash []byte, first, last int) FullCommit {
 
 	header := genHeader(chainID, height, txs, vals, appHash)
-	commit := &Commit{
-		Header:          header,
-		Commit:          v.signHeader(header, first, last),
-		CanonicalCommit: true,
+	commit := Commit{
+		Header: header,
+		Commit: v.signHeader(header, first, last),
 	}
 	return NewFullCommit(commit, vals)
 }
diff --git a/certifiers/inquirer.go b/certifiers/inquirer.go
index 9dd44e89b..460b622ab 100644
--- a/certifiers/inquirer.go
+++ b/certifiers/inquirer.go
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ func (c *Inquiring) LastHeight() int {
 // for a path to prove the new validators.
 //
 // On success, it will store the checkpoint in the store for later viewing
-func (c *Inquiring) Certify(commit *Commit) error {
+func (c *Inquiring) Certify(commit Commit) error {
 	err := c.useClosestTrust(commit.Height())
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
diff --git a/certifiers/static.go b/certifiers/static.go
index a2b9b8ae7..787aecb3f 100644
--- a/certifiers/static.go
+++ b/certifiers/static.go
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ func (c *Static) Hash() []byte {
 	return c.vhash
 }
 
-func (c *Static) Certify(commit *Commit) error {
+func (c *Static) Certify(commit Commit) error {
 	// do basic sanity checks
 	err := commit.ValidateBasic(c.chainID)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/rpc/core/blocks.go b/rpc/core/blocks.go
index ad00060f4..6b5e2166f 100644
--- a/rpc/core/blocks.go
+++ b/rpc/core/blocks.go
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@ func Commit(heightPtr *int) (*ctypes.ResultCommit, error) {
 		height := blockStore.Height()
 		header := blockStore.LoadBlockMeta(height).Header
 		commit := blockStore.LoadSeenCommit(height)
-		return &ctypes.ResultCommit{header, commit, false}, nil
+		return ctypes.NewResultCommit(header, commit, false), nil
 	}
 
 	height := *heightPtr
@@ -298,10 +298,10 @@ func Commit(heightPtr *int) (*ctypes.ResultCommit, error) {
 	// use a non-canonical commit
 	if height == storeHeight {
 		commit := blockStore.LoadSeenCommit(height)
-		return &ctypes.ResultCommit{header, commit, false}, nil
+		return ctypes.NewResultCommit(header, commit, false), nil
 	}
 
 	// Return the canonical commit (comes from the block at height+1)
 	commit := blockStore.LoadBlockCommit(height)
-	return &ctypes.ResultCommit{header, commit, true}, nil
+	return ctypes.NewResultCommit(header, commit, true), nil
 }
diff --git a/rpc/core/types/responses.go b/rpc/core/types/responses.go
index a5ed6f5a8..874e351d3 100644
--- a/rpc/core/types/responses.go
+++ b/rpc/core/types/responses.go
@@ -26,9 +26,24 @@ type ResultBlock struct {
 }
 
 type ResultCommit struct {
-	Header          *types.Header `json:"header"`
-	Commit          *types.Commit `json:"commit"`
-	CanonicalCommit bool          `json:"canonical"`
+	// SignedHeader is header and commit, embedded so we only have
+	// one level in the json output
+	types.SignedHeader
+	CanonicalCommit bool `json:"canonical"`
+}
+
+// NewResultCommit is a helper to initialize the ResultCommit with
+// the embedded struct
+func NewResultCommit(header *types.Header, commit *types.Commit,
+	canonical bool) *ResultCommit {
+
+	return &ResultCommit{
+		SignedHeader: types.SignedHeader{
+			Header: header,
+			Commit: commit,
+		},
+		CanonicalCommit: canonical,
+	}
 }
 
 type ResultStatus struct {
diff --git a/types/block.go b/types/block.go
index 24e0f7445..2291de316 100644
--- a/types/block.go
+++ b/types/block.go
@@ -368,6 +368,14 @@ func (commit *Commit) StringIndented(indent string) string {
 
 //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+// SignedHeader is a header along with the commits that prove it
+type SignedHeader struct {
+	Header *Header `json:"header"`
+	Commit *Commit `json:"commit"`
+}
+
+//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
 // Data contains the set of transactions included in the block
 type Data struct {