Jerusalem Talmud Sanhedrin 3:2

משנה: זֶה פוֹסֵל דַּייָּנוֹ שֶׁל זֶה וְזֶה פוֹסֵל דַּייָּנוֹ שֶׁל זֶה דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים אֵימָתַי בִּזְמַן שֶׁהוּא מֵבִיא עֲלֵיהֶן רְאָיָה שֶׁהֵן קְרוֹבִין אוֹ פְסוּלִין אֲבָל אִם הָיוּ כְשֵׁרִים אוֹ מוּמְחִין מִפִּי בֵּית דִּין אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְפָסְלָן. MISHNAH: Each of them disqualifies the other’s judge, the words of Rebbi Meïr. But the Sages say, when is this? If he brings proof that they are relatives⁵Anybody not acceptable as a witness in a case is unacceptable as a judge; cf. Mishnah 7. or disqualified⁶A felon or a person disqualified under the rules of Mishnah 6.. But if they are unexceptionable or qualified by the court⁷He passed bar examinations. he cannot disqualify them.

הלכה: זֶה פוֹסֵל דַּייָּנוֹ שֶׁלָּזֶה כול׳. כֵּינִי מַתְנִיתא. זֶה פוֹסֵל דַּייָּנוֹ שֶׁלָּזֶה. הָא דַייָנוֹ לֹא. רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ אָמַר. בְּאַרְכָאוֹת שֶׁבְּסוּרְיָא אָֽמְרוּ. הָא בְדִינֵי תוֹרָה לֹא. רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר. אֲפִילוֹ בְדִינֵי תוֹרָה. הֵיךְ אָֽמְרִין. תְּרֵין בְּנֵי נַשׁ הֲוָה לָן דִּין בְּאַנְטִוֹכְיָא. אֲמַר חַד לְחַבְרֵיהּ. מַה דְרִבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר מְקַבֵּל עָלַי. שָׁמַע רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן וָמַר. לֹא כָל־מִינֵּיהּ מִיטְרְפָא בַעַל דִּינֵיהּ אֶלָּא שָֽׁמְעִין מִילֵּיהוֹן תַּמָּן וְאִין הֲווָת צוֹרְכָא כָּֽתְבִין וּמְשַׁלְּחִין עוּבְדָא לְרַבָּנִן. אָמַר רִבִּי לָֽעְזָר. זֶה אוֹמֵר. בְּטִיבֵּרְיָא. וְזֶה אוֹמֵר. בְּצִיפּוֹרִי. שׁוֹמְעִין לָזֶה שֶׁאָמַר. בְּטִיבֵּרְיָא. HALAKHAH: “Each of them disqualifies the other’s judge,” etc. So is the Mishnah: Each of them disqualifies the other’s judge, but not his own. Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish said, they spoke about Syrian courts⁸Greek ἀρχεῖον, cf. Giṭṭin 1:5, Note 107., but not about following Torah law⁹Ad hoc courts formed by ignorant people.. Rebbi Joḥanan said, even following Torah law¹⁰In a court of arbitration it makes no difference whether a judge be learned in the law or not.. How was this said? Two people had a case in Antioch. One said to the other, I am accepting everything which Rebbi Joḥanan will decide¹¹Implying that he wants the case to be tried before the permanent court of the Academy in Tiberias.. Rebbi Joḥanan heard it and said, he is not empowered to tear apart his opponent¹²By forcing him to spend money and time in travelling from Antioch to Tiberias., but they shall hear their arguments there and if need be they should write and send the case before the rabbis¹³If one party wants to try a case out of town, the other party can appeal to the local permanent court to try the case in town, subject to submitting arguments in dispute to an out-of-town court of appeals; Babli 31b.. Rebbi Eleazar said, if one says in Tiberias, but the other said in Sepphoris, one listens to the one who says in Tiberias¹⁴Between the court of the Academy in Tiberias and the local court in Sepphoris, precedence must be given to the court of the Academy..

וּלְעוֹלָם זֶה פוֹסֵל וְזֶה מֵבִיא. אָמַר רִבִּי זֵירָא. בִּטְפֵילָה שָׁנוּ. אָמַר רִבִּי לָא. וְהַאי דָּמַר רִבִּי לָֽעְזָר. זֶה אָמַר בְּטִיבֵּרְיָא. וְזֶה אָמַר בִּצִיפּוֹרִי. בְּאִינּוּן דַּהֲווֹן יְהִיבִין בְּחָדָא מִשְׁכְּנָא. מִן הָכָא לְהָכָא ז׳ מִילִין. מִן הָכָא לְהָכָא ט׳ מִילִין. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי. וְאַתְּ שְׁמַע מִינָּהּ. תְּרֵין בְּנֵי נַשׁ הֲוָה לוֹן דִּין בְּטִיבֵּרְיָה. זֶה אוֹמֵר. בְּבֵית דִּין הַגָּדוֹל. וְזֶה אוֹמֵר. בְּבֵית דִּין הַקָּטָן. שׁוֹמְעִין לָזֶה שֶׁאָמַר. בְּבֵית דִּין הַגָּדוֹל. Can he forever disqualify and have the other appoint [a replacement]¹⁵According to R. Meïr, cannot one party endlessly drag out the case by objecting to the other’s choice of judges?? Rebbi Zeˋira said, they taught this about subsidiaries¹⁶R. Meïr permits rejections without cause only for judges not learned in the law. The other party can cut short the selection process either by appointing a judge learned in the law or by removing the case to the permanent local court.. Rebbi La said, what Rebbi Eleazar said about “one said in Tiberias, but the other said in Sepphoris,” is about those who live at the same place¹⁷And their village had no permanent local court., from where to [Sepphoris] it is seven mil, but from there to [Tiberias] it is nine mil¹⁸A small inconvenience must be accepted in order to bring the case before the most competent court nearby.. Rebbi Yose said, one understands from this, that if two people had a case in Tiberias; one of them said in the permanent court, but the other said in an ad hoc court; one listens to the one who said in the permanent court¹⁹Even though the Mishnah prescribes ad hoc courts of arbitration for monetary disputes, the party who wants to bring the case before the permanent rabbinic court of the community can force the opposing party to agree to his choice..