Small and great equally shall you hear": Lest you say: Since this one is poor and the other rich it is a mitzvah to judge in his (the poor man's) behalf, so that he can feed himself honestly; it is, therefore, written "Small and great equally shall you hear."
Variantly: "Small and great equally shall you hear": Lest you say: How can I damage this man's reputation for a dinar? I will exonerate him, and when he leaves, I will tell him to give the poor man the money that he owes him. Thus, "Small and great equally shall you hear."