Negative commandment · Lo Ta’aseh #278 of 613
Not to pervert judgment against a sinner
שלא להטות משפט אדם חוטא
The verse · Shemot 23:6
לֹא תַטֶּה מִשְׁפַּט אֶבְיֹנְךָ בְּרִיבוֹ
“Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of thy poor in his cause.”
The Rambam’s words
Not to pervert judgment against a sinner, as [implied by Exodus 23:6, which] states: "Do not pervert the judgment of a poor person." This refers to someone who is poor with regard to [the observance of] the mitzvot.
שלא להטות משפט אדם חוטא, שנאמר "לֹא תַטֶּה מִשְׁפַּט אֶבְיֹנְךָ" (שמות כג, ו); למדו מפי השמועה, שזה אביון במצוות.
Why · Sefer HaChinuch #81
To not tip the judgment of an evildoer
“The root of equitablity in judgment for all men is something rational.”
Who & when
“And [it] is practiced in all places and at all times by males, but not by females, as they do not judge.”
Where in the Mishneh Torah
Hilchot The Sanhedrin and the Penalties within Their Jurisdiction הלכות סנהדרין והעונשין המסורין להם