What keeps a judge from making whatever decision they want when dealing with criminal court cases?

Question

What keeps a judge from making whatever decision they want when dealing with criminal court cases?

In: 3

Answer 1

That’s why there are appeals. If a judge goes against legal precedent or makes some otherwise unreasonable or unjust ruling, the aggrieved party can appeal to a higher court to argue that the judge is wrong.

And from a personal perspective, judges can get punished with sanctions, such as being removed from the bench or being disbarred.