Sir Edward Coke was an English barrister, judge and politician considered to be the greatest jurist of the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. Coke is best known in modern times for his Institutes, described by John Rutledge as "almost the foundations of our law", and his Reports, which have been called "perhaps the single most influential series of named reports". Historically, he was a highly influential judge; within England and Wales, his statements and works were used to justify the right to silence, while the Statute of Monopolies is considered to be one of the first actions in the conflict between Parliament and monarch that led to the English Civil War. In America, Coke's decision in Dr. Bonham's Case was used to justify the voiding of the Stamp Act 1765 and writs of assistance, which led to the American War of Independence, and after the establishment of the United States his decisions and writings profoundly influenced the Third and Fourth amendments to the United States Constitution while necessitating the Sixteenth.... More • http://en.wikipedia. ... dward_Coke View • Books • Images • Videos • Search Related • Jurists • Enlightenment • Great Britain • Law • Renaissance • 16th Century • 17th Century • People