"You shall not pervert the judgment of the impoverished in his cause"—Exodus 23:6.
A judge is enjoined not to rule against a litigant due to the fact that he is known to be an evil sinner. In the words of our Sages, "An upright person and an evil person are standing before you in trial. You may not say, 'Since he is evil, I will rule against him.'"
(The Sages understand the word "impoverished" in the afore-cited verse as meaning "impoverished in good deeds.")
