Five of the first six justices—John Jay, John Rutledge, William Cushing, John Blair, and James Iredell—had prior judicial experience. Only James Wilson of the original six had never served as a judge.

Jay had been chief justice of the New York State Court, Rutledge had been judge of the Court of Chancery of South Carolina, Cushing had been a member of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, Blair had been chief justice of the Virginia Court of Appeals, and Iredell had been a judge on the Superior Court of North Carolina.