DEUT18 It is a negative commandment that the judge should have no fear of a party to a lawsuit as Scripture says, you should not be afraid of the presence of any man [this verse]. Even if a man on trial is powerful, he should not be afraid of him that he may harm him. Now, as long as the judge does not know in which direction justice tends in the case, he can remove himself from the judgment, saying, "I am not bound to you [to have to try your case]." But from the time he hears their statements and knows which way the justice tends to lie in a case, he has no right to remove himself because he fears one of them, that he may injure him. Included in this is the rule that if a disciple is sitting before his master [when the instructor is trying a case] and he sees a point in favor of a poor man and to the disadvantage of a rich man, and he remain silent, he violates this probation.