Deuteronomy 16:19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift blinds the eyes of the wise, and perverts the words of the righteous.
The relationship between mechanic and judge continued for a period of time until one day the mechanic got into an accident, by which he ran into a Ford Taurus from behind, while texting. The man who was in the car which had gotten hit, decided to sue for injuries, and consequently went to Morgan and Morgan to handle the case. And, believe it or not, it just so happened that the same case came before the judge who was neighbor to the mechanic.
As defendant and plaintiff squared off in court, the judge became quite uncomfortable. This was because his mechanic neighbor who had faithfully fixed his Volvo over the years, would now obviously be expecting the judge to give a favorable ruling, on account of their relationship. The judge is torn between justice and quid pro quo, because, on account of the favors his good neighbor had shown, it seemed plausible, and right, that he should cut him some slack and rule in his favor.
However, as Morgan and Morgan presented the raw facts in the case, it became clearly evident that the mechanic was at fault, and now, the right thing for the judge to do would be to give a ruling that would incriminate his next-door neighbor. What was he supposed to do? Should he go ahead and judge impartially, or should he favor his good neighbor on account of his previous kindnesses? On the one hand, if the judge in question rules against his neighbor mechanic, it would seem to be glaring ingratitude.
Deuteronomy 25:1 If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!