חזון השופטים Vision of the Judges

After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of the LORD, “Which of us shall be the first to go up against the Canaanites and attack them?” The LORD replied, “Let [the tribe of] Judah go up. I now deliver the land into their hands.”

The people served the LORD during the lifetime of Joshua and the lifetime of the older people who lived on after Joshua and who had seen all the marvelous deeds that the LORD had done for Israel.

And the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD: they worshiped the Baalim.

The Philistines seized [Samson] and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and shackled him in bronze fetters, and he became a mill slave in the prison.

The Sages taught (Tosefta 3:15): Samson rebelled with his eyes, as it says: “And Samson said to his father: Get [that Philistine woman] for me; for she is pleasant in my eyes” (Judges 14:3). Therefore, the Philistines gouged out his eyes, as it says: “And the Philistines seized him, and gouged out his eyes” (Judges 16:21).... [earlier] it says: “And Samson went down to Timnah [and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines]” (Judges 14:1)

So she took off her widow’s garb, covered her face with a veil, and, wrapping herself up, sat down at the entrance to Einaim [i.e., eyes], which is on the road to Timnah ...

And everyone who saw it cried out, “Never has such a thing happened or been seen from the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt to this day! Put your mind to this; take counsel and decide.”

"AH, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, MY BELOVED; AH, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL WITH YOUR DOVELIKE EYES." (Shir haShirim 1:15) These (eyes) are the Sanhedrin.... Just as the whole body follows the eyes, so Israel follows the Sanhedrin.

In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did as seemed fit in their own eyes.

A judge can only rely on what her own eyes see.