Musar על שבועות 60:7

ולא תהדר פני גדול . The Torah has to mention this in connection with litigation. Whereas normally one is certainly urged to honor Torah scholars (19,32), in case of litigation a display of deference for a litigant who is widely acclaimed may confuse the other party so that he cannot present his arguments coherently. By pandering to the important litigant, one is, in effect, pandering to the "great accuser," giving him ammunition against us. Nonetheless, one must also fulfill the commandment of honoring Torah scholars. One does this by inviting both litigants to be seated during the proceedings, just like the judges.