Why did Sir Edward Coke oppose the Court of Chancery’s interference with common-law judgments?

Sir Edward Coke opposed the Court of Chancery’s interference with common-law judgments because he was a staunch defender of the supremacy of the common law over all other institutions.1

As a jurist, Coke viewed the common law as the supreme authority in England. He challenged the Court of Chancery because its practice of issuing equitable remedies allowed it to effectively nullify decisions made by common-law courts. In 1615, this conflict escalated when the Court of King’s Bench, led by Coke, disputed the Lord Chancellor’s right to intervene in these matters. Coke even supported efforts to hold suitors liable for praemunire—a serious legal offense—if they sought the Chancery’s assistance to defy a common-law decree. Ultimately, Coke’s resistance was rooted in his belief that the common law should remain the definitive and unassailable source of justice, free from the encroachment of competing jurisdictions like the Chancery.1