The Briefer Process case, also known as the Bishop’s Process, has come about due to the changes that Pope Francis initiated in 2015, reforming the Church’s procedures for matrimonial nullity cases.
In certain cases, where both parties agree together that their marriage should be declared invalid, and there is clear and abundant proof to support their assertion, the parties can now request to have the diocesan bishop judge their case directly, instead of going through the ordinary tribunal process (a formal annulment case). The parties will still need to present enough solid and pertinent evidence for the bishop to make a confident determination of the status of their marriage.
Even if the parties both agree to pursue this process through mutual cooperation, they should have their Case Sponsor at the parish (priest, deacon, or pastoral assistant) inquire with the Tribunal ahead of time before submitting a “Briefer Process” application. Since Pope Francis changed canon law in 2015 to allow for this process, the number of cases where it can be used has turned out to be rare.