It is an entity such as an arbitration panel or tribunal board, which can be a public administrative agency but also a contract- or private law entity, which has been given powers and procedures resembling those of a court of law or judge and which is obliged to objectively determine facts and draw conclusions from them so as to provide the basis of an official action.
[1] Such bodies usually have powers of adjudication in such matters as: Their powers are usually limited to a very specific area of expertise and authority, such as land use and zoning, financial markets, employment law, public standards, and/or a specific set of regulations of an agency.
[1] The decisions of such a body are often made after a quasi-judicial proceeding, which may resemble a court.
There are some key differences between judicial and quasi-judicial bodies, in that: In general, decisions of a quasi-judicial body require findings of facts to reach conclusions of law that justify the decision.
They usually depend on a predetermined set of guidelines or criteria to assess the nature and gravity of the permission or relief sought, or of the offense committed.