Deuteronomy 25:1
If there is a dispute between men, they are to go to court to be judged, so that the innocent may be acquitted and the guilty condemned.
What it says
When men dispute, they are to come before the court so judgment can distinguish the innocent from the guilty.
What it is doing
It establishes formal judgment as the proper setting for justice.
In context
1If there is a dispute between men, they are to go to court to be judged, so that the innocent may be acquitted and the guilty condemned. 2If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall have him lie down and be flogged in his presence with the number of lashes his crime warrants. 3He may receive no more than forty lashes, lest your brother be beaten any more than that and be degraded in your sight. 4Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.