As it is usually the Executive Branch that has received the most focus as to whom held Masonic members there is little discussed on Justices of the Supreme Court. Conducting research for this group was difficult as the published works conflict with each other and primary sources are very scarce when researching the earliest Justices and there is little written today about more recent Justices who would have been Masons. Looking at all the sources, roughly one third of the Supreme Court Justices have been Masons. Bro. Paul Bessel put it nicely with:
Although there exists no evidence, John Jay is listed as a Mason in 10,000 Famous Freemasons. John Jay was born Dec 12, 1745, but in contrast to many of the Founders of the US, he was a child to French Huguenot refugees rather than British citizens. He attended King’s College (now Columbia University) where studied law in his final year. John Jay is most known as the first Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, but is considered a prominent figure of the Revolutionary times as he was a member, and President for 2-years, of the Continental Congress; Minister to Spain; signer of the Treaty of Paris; US Secretary of Foreign Affairs; was one of the authors of what would be known as the Federalist Papers; and served the people of NY as Governor. Many believe that John Jay was a Freemason as he wrote to Washington on April 21, 1779:
"This might be just an interesting statistic, if they were Masons in name only, and some probably were. However, it appears that several were Masters of their Lodges, and some were Grand Masters of their Grand Lodges. Undoubtedly, then, the philosophy and spirit of Freemasonry had some effect on them, as well as the other Masons on the Supreme Court. This, in turn, may mean that to some extent the decisions of the Supreme Court, which have had so much of an impact on the lives of all Americans, reflect some of the teachings of Freemasonry."To gather the names, I pulled from Paul Bessel's website, 10,000 Famous Freemasons, and the Masonic Info website primarily with other reputable sources at my disposal. This article is split into three parts and this first part will cover only those Freemasons who served as Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States of America during the 18th century.

The dissolution of our governments threw us into a political chaos. Time, Wisdom and Perseverance will reduce it into Form, and give it Strength, Order and Harmony. In this work you are (in the style of your professions) a Master Builder, and God grant that you may long continue a Free and Accepted one.There is also question as to whether John Rutledge was also a Mason or not. He received his education from his uncle Andrew Rutledge, South Carolina’s Speaker of the Common House of Assembly, and helped kick start his journey to a political career. After spending three years in England for law school, he returned to South Carolina. John Rutledge is known for being a Governor of South Carolina and delegate to the Constitutional Convention. He was also a member of the 3rd committee created to propose designs for the Great Seal of the US. He was appointed by George Washington to the Supreme Court. He took over as Chief Justice after John Jay resigned to serve as Governor. He was appointed during the recess of the Senate, but was removed after the Senate reconvened or his public rejection of a Treaty that Jay had supported. According to Paul Bessel, "Masonic Trivia and Facts and The MSA 1940s study say he was a Mason, without identifying his lodge, but 10,000 Famous Freemasons does not list him."

John Blair is remembered as a US Supreme Court Justice and member of the Constitutional Convention. He was a famous legal scholar who seems to have avoided dealing with state politics and preferred to remain behind the scenes. He is not remembered so much for his contributions at the Constitutional Convention, but rather for his time as a jurist on the Virginia Court of Appeals and later the US Supreme Court, where he influenced the interpretation of the Constitution in a number of important decisions such as the case of Chisholm v. Georgia in 1793, which held that a state could be sued in federal court even if it objected to the suit. The outcry at this opinion led to the adoption of the 11th Amendment in 1798. Blair resigned from the Supreme Court on October 25th, 1795, and died in Williamsburg in 1800. In Freemasonry, was unanimously elected as the first Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Virginia in 1778.


References
1. Bessel, P. M. (1998, May 21). United States Supreme Court Justices who were Freemasons. Retrieved from Paul M. Bessel's Homepage: http://bessel.org/sctfmy.htm
2. Chalmers, G. M. (2012). Masonic Leaders in the United States and their Influence on this Century, 1900-1999. Northern California Lodge of Research.
3. Denslow, W. R. (1957). 10,000 Famous Freemasons, Vol. 1. Retrieved from Phoenix Masonry: http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/10,000_famous_freemasons/Volume_1_A_to_D.htm
4. Denslow, W. R. (1957). 10,000 Famous Freemasons, Vol. 2. Retrieved from Phoenix Masonry: http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/10,000_famous_freemasons/Volume_2_E_to_J.htm
5. Denslow, W. R. (1957). 10,000 Famous Freemasons, Vol. 3. Retrieved from Phoenix Masonry: http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/10,000_famous_freemasons/Volume_3_K_to_P.htm
6. Denslow, W. R. (1957). 10,000 Famous Freemasons, Vol. 4. Retrieved from Phoenix Masonry: http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/10,000_famous_freemasons/Volume_4_Q_to_Z.htm
7. Famous Freemasons. (n.d.). Retrieved from Lakeshore Lodge No.30 (OH): http://www.mastermason.com/lakeshorelodge307/famous_freemasons.htm
8. John Blair, Jr. (n.d.). Retrieved from Oyez: https://www.oyez.org/justices/john_blair
9. John Jay. (n.d.). Retrieved from Oyez: https://www.oyez.org/justices/john_jay
10. John Rutledge. (n.d.). Retrieved from Oyez: https://www.oyez.org/justices/john_rutledge
11. King, E. (n.d.). Famous Freemasons: A through L. Retrieved from Masonic Info: http://www.masonicinfo.com/famous1.htm
12. King, E. (n.d.). Famous Freemasons: M through Z. Retrieved from Masonic Info: http://www.masonicinfo.com/famous2.htm
13. Members of the Supreme Court of the United States. (2017, April 23). Retrieved from Supreme Court of the United States: https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/members_text.aspx
14. Oliver Ellsworth. (n.d.). Retrieved from Oyez: https://www.oyez.org/justices/oliver_ellsworth
15. William Cushing. (n.d.). Retrieved from Oyez: https://www.oyez.org/justices/william_cushing
16. William Paterson. (n.d.). Retrieved from Oyez: https://www.oyez.org/justices/william_paterson
13. Members of the Supreme Court of the United States. (2017, April 23). Retrieved from Supreme Court of the United States: https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/members_text.aspx
14. Oliver Ellsworth. (n.d.). Retrieved from Oyez: https://www.oyez.org/justices/oliver_ellsworth
15. William Cushing. (n.d.). Retrieved from Oyez: https://www.oyez.org/justices/william_cushing
16. William Paterson. (n.d.). Retrieved from Oyez: https://www.oyez.org/justices/william_paterson
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