What a judicial conduct body reviews
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A judicial conduct body examines complaints about the behaviour of judges and magistrates, addressing concerns such as serious delay, discourtesy or conduct that undermines confidence in the judiciary, while carefully avoiding any review of the legal correctness of a judge's actual rulings, which remain a matter for the appeal courts alone.
This distinction protects judicial independence, since judges must be free to make unpopular or legally contestable decisions without fear that a conduct body will effectively punish them for the outcome of their reasoning. Conduct review instead focuses narrowly on behaviour, rather than substituting itself for the ordinary appeals process.
Because judicial independence is such a delicate balance, most conduct bodies operate with considerable procedural caution, often resolving informal complaints privately while reserving formal action for more serious or repeated concerns. That caution reflects a genuine effort to hold judges accountable without ever compromising their independence from political or public pressure.