Who is the defender of the bond?

Church law specifies that a defender of the bond must be assigned to every case. The defender of the bond is an approved expert in Church law and is appointed by the Archbishop of Detroit. The defender of the bond assures that everything undertaken in the proceedings satisfies the requirements of Church law, especially that the parties in the process have been afforded their full rights.

The defender of the bond reviews the information and raises those facts that support the presumption that the marriage was indeed validly established. The defender of the bond has the power to appeal a decision; however, he or she usually only appeals in instances of serious gaps in the information, an unsubstantiated decision of the review judge, or flagrant abuses in procedure.