​ 72 Sanhedrin 3/5-8

(5) [These are also invalid]: the friend and the enemy. The friend, this is a groomsman. The enemy, this is anyone who has not spoken with [the litigant] for three days from hatred. [The Sages] said to him: Israel is not suspected of this.

(6) How do they examine the witnesses? They would bring them in and instill fear in them. Then they would send every man outside, but keep the eldest among them and say to him: "Say how you know that the one owes the other." If he says, "He told me, 'I owe him,'" or, "So-and-so told me that he owes him" - this means nothing. Only if he says, "In front of us, he told him that he owes him two hundred zuz" [is his testimony meaningful]. After this, they would bring in the second [witness] and examine him. If they find that their words are aligned, [the judges] deliberate on the matter. [If] two say innocent and one says guilty, [the verdict is] innocent. Two say guilty and one says innocent, [the verdict is] guilty. One says innocent and one says guilty, or even if the two acquit or the two convict and one says he does not know, they add [more] judges.

(7) When the matter is finished, they bring in [the litigants]. The greatest of the judges says, "So-and-so, you are innocent," or, "So-and-so, you are guilty." And from where [do we derive that] when one of the judges leaves he may not say, "I acquitted him and my fellows convicted him, but what was I to do, as my fellows were in the majority." Regarding this it is said, "Do not go about as a talebearer among your people," (Leviticus 19:16) and it says, "He who gossips reveals secrets." (Proverbs 11:13)

(8) Each time [a litigant] brings evidence [anew], he overturns the [previous] verdict. [If] they said to him: "All evidence that you have, bring it here within thirty days." If he finds [evidence] within thirty days, it overturns [the previous verdict]. After thirty days, it does not overturn. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said, what could he have done, for he did not find [evidence] within thirty days, but [only] after thirty days! [If] they said to him, "Bring witnesses," and he says, "I have no witnesses"; [or] they say to him, "Bring evidence," and he says, "I have no evidence"; and after a time he brings evidence or finds witnesses, behold this means nothing. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said, what could he have done, for he did not know that he had witnesses and [only later] found witnesses, [or] he did not know that he had evidence and [only later] found evidence! [If] they said to him, "Bring witnesses" and he says, "I have no witnesses"; or [they say,] "Bring evidence," and he says, "I have no evidence"; and he sees that he will be convicted and says, "Come near so-and-so and so-and-so, and testify for me," or he found evidence from his wallet, behold this means nothing.