The right to silence is a legal principle which guarantees any individual the right to refuse to answer questions from law enforcement officers or court officials. It is a legal right recognized, explicitly or by convention, in many of the world's legal systems.
Portrait of English judge Sir Edward Coke
Sir Edward Coke was an English barrister, judge, and politician. He is often considered the greatest jurist of the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras.
Edward Coke
Trinity College, Cambridge, where Coke studied between 1567 and 1570
The Court of King's Bench, where Coke brought his first case
Robert Cecil, Coke's political ally who acted as a staunch defender of Elizabeth I