ישעיהו, פרק א׳, פסוק כ״ג

A society's moral health is often best measured by the integrity of its leaders and its justice system. When those in power abandon their duty, the most vulnerable members of society are the first to suffer. Approaching society's illnesses like an expert doctor diagnosing the root of a disease, the prophet points an accusing finger directly at the leadership [מלבי״ם]. Instead of fixing the wrongs within the nation, the officials themselves have become the very source of corruption [רד״ק]. This deterioration of the government and justice system is a direct reflection, measure for measure, of the deceitful ways the people conduct their daily business [אדרת אליהו].

The leadership has turned entirely away from the straight and good path, becoming completely disobedient to moral standards [רש״י, מצודת דוד, שד״ל, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Worse still, the officials and judges quietly cooperate with thieves. They turn a blind eye to crimes and refuse to punish the guilty, all in exchange for a cut of the stolen goods [מלבי״ם, רד״ק, שד״ל, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

This corruption is deeply systemic. The entire system is infected, with no leader free from the love of money [מלבי״ם, רד״ק, שד״ל], and the general public simply follows the corrupt example set by their leaders [מצודת דוד]. The judges actively chase after personal gain. The primary approach among commentators is that judges take money in exchange for their rulings or pursue mutual favors. A judge might ask a colleague to tilt a verdict in his favor today, promising to return the corrupt favor when needed tomorrow [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת דוד, אבן עזרא, שד״ל]. An alternative perspective suggests that judges accept bribes from both sides of a dispute, making it impossible to rule in favor of either. To resolve this, they aggressively force a compromise between the parties, leaving each side to believe they benefited from the bribe they paid [מלבי״ם].

As a direct result of a justice system bought with money, the weakest members of society are completely abandoned. Judges refuse to protect orphans from those who oppress them because orphans have no money to offer [שד״ל, ביאור שטיינזלץ] and pose no threat to the judges [אבן עזרא]. Without a bribe, the judges will not even bother to arrange a compromise for them [מלבי״ם]. Consequently, widows do not even attempt to seek justice. Knowing in advance that they have no chance of being heard without a payment, they simply stay away from the courts [רד״ק, שד״ל, אבן עזרא]. Furthermore, when a widow watches an orphan leave the court empty-handed despite his best efforts, she realizes her own situation is equally hopeless. She despairs before even trying and completely gives up her demand for justice [רש״י, מצודת דוד].