Judge or Plead?

Proverbs 31:9 (KJV) Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.

When I read verses like this I tend to sit up and take notice.  I also squirm a lot.  We live in a day when a person with air conditioning, a cell phone and food on the shelf will cry “Poor” because someone else has more than they do.  I remember being exposed to a video clip where a young woman was in despair because she was too pretty to have to work.  She thought she should be able to sit around on a yacht and have money thrown at her just because she was so good looking.  She would claim to be poor and needy.

At the same time the phrase “plead the cause” is usually translated “judge”.

So?  For me this requires a lot of soul searching.  I need to make sure that my evaluation of others is done “righteously” and not be based on my own prejudices.