Why did the judge acquit the rabbi?

And Jacob said, etc. Therefore I have seen your face as if I had seen the face of God, and I have been healed (33:10).

And the question arises, how did Jacob compare seeing Esau's face to seeing God's face? Rather, Rabbi Yonatan Eybshitz, may God be pleased with him, explained that for Esau, this was considered great praise, but that was certainly not Jacob's intention. As the Sages said (Megillah 28), "It is forbidden to look at the face of a wicked person." Just as it is forbidden to look intently at the president and the priests during their blessing because the Divine Presence rests upon them, and only a brief glance is permitted, so Jacob did not look at Esau except with his eyes, and this was so as not to fall foul of the prohibition of looking at the face of a wicked person!...

An amazing story is told about the Maharil Diskin, Z.A.! As is known, the Maharil fought with all his might against the educated who raised their heads and succeeded in bringing down many Haredim martyrs for the sake of God, with no limit to their audacity and wickedness, they spread a malicious slander against him and accused him of theft. The police jumped at the rare opportunity – to arrest a famous Jewish rabbi, and it wasn't long before the Maharil was sitting behind bars, awaiting his trial. Understandably, the community members did not rest or remain silent, and managed to obtain the services of the greatest lawyer in Russia, who was an assimilated Jew, to represent the rabbi in court. The lawyer arrived at the prison to meet with the accused rabbi, but during the entire meeting, the Maharil Diskin sat with his face bowed to the ground, and in this manner answered the man's questions. At the end of the meeting, the lawyer could not contain his amazement and asked: "Your Honor, why don't you look at me?" And the Maharil replied firmly, "Because it is forbidden to look at the face of an evil person."

During the trial, the lawyer began by saying: "Your Honor, first I want you to get to know the man who is about to be tried before you: This man knows that his life depends on me, and that I have the power to pass judgment on him one way or the other, and yet he did not look at me, because it is forbidden to look at the face of an evil person! Is it possible, Your Honor, that such a righteous man is a thief?!... His words left a profound impression on the listeners, and this was one of the reasons why the judge acquitted the rabbi...

Dvar Torah by Rabbi Moshe Klein, principal of the Neve Zvi Torah School.