John Marshall (1755-1835) was the fourth Chief Justice of the United States and the central figure in the transformation of the Supreme Court into a major institution. A Revolutionary soldier, lawyer, Virginia politician, diplomat, congressman, and Secretary of State, he brought a strong Federalist conception of national constitutional authority to the Court.

Aaron Burr (1756-1836) was a New York lawyer, Revolutionary War officer, and Vice President. He served in the Continental Army, became New York's attorney general and a U.S. senator, and was chosen as Thomas Jefferson's running mate in 1800. Burr's political career collapsed following his 1804 duel with Alexander Hamilton and his subsequent prosecution for treason arising from his Western expedition, although he remained active in law and business for the rest of his life.

Henry B. Livingston (1757-1823) was a New York lawyer, Revolutionary officer, state legislator, and judge before joining the Supreme Court. He served on the New York Supreme Court and became Chief Justice of that court before President Thomas Jefferson appointed him. Livingston generally supported Marshall's nationalist constitutional jurisprudence and became one of the Court's more frequent contributors to unanimous decisions.

James Monroe (1758 – 1831) was the fifth President of the United States, serving from 1817 to 1825, and was the last of the Founder-Presidents. A veteran of the Revolutionary War, he held numerous offices including senator, governor of Virginia, minister to France, and secretary of state and war under James Madison. His presidency is best known for the “Era of Good Feelings” and the Monroe Doctrine, which asserted U.S. opposition to further European colonization in the Americas.

Bushrod Washington (1762-1829) was a Virginia lawyer and the nephew of George Washington who became one of the longest-serving justices of the Supreme Court. Appointed by President John Adams in 1798, he served for more than thirty years and became an important associate of John Marshall's Court, participating in many of its foundational decisions concerning federalism, contracts, commerce, and judicial power.

Thomas Todd (1765-1826) was a Virginia-born lawyer who became a leading jurist in Kentucky and the only Supreme Court justice to come from that state's early judiciary during this period. He helped establish Kentucky's legal system, served as clerk of the Kentucky legislature, became a judge of the Kentucky Court of Appeals, and eventually served as its chief justice. President Thomas Jefferson appointed him to the Supreme Court in 1807, where he remained until his death in 1826.