5 viral moments America’s nicest judge modelled Jesus

I’ve discovered recently that procrastinating on YouTube can be a wholesome use of time. If it’s spent watching Frank Caprio videos, that is.

The man known as “America’s nicest judge” died last week from pancreatic cancer, aged 88, and how fitting that one of his last ever posts on Instagram said, “A life built on kindness is a life that echoes long after we’ve gone.” That’s because “Uncle Frank” was universally admired for his kindness, as shown on Caught in Providence, the programme that showed him preside over real, non-criminal cases in Rhode Island.  

Caprio came from a poor background, an experience that encouraged him to put himself in the shoes of those before him. He was also tremendously inspired by his father, an Italian migrant who, as a milkman, often helped cover the payments of customers struggling to pay their milk. Another inspiration was his faith. In a post shared shortly before his death, Caprio said, “I have a deep and abiding faith in the Catholic Church, in Jesus, in the power of prayer.” 

Since his death, clips highlighting Caprio’s compassion, wisdom, humour and kindness have gone viral. Here are five…

1. Everyday kindness

What better place to start than with a case that Caprio said was one of his favourites.

After being caught speeding, a 96-year-old man explains that it happened whilst taking his son for cancer treatment. Caprio listens intently, before uttering his iconic line: “Your case is dismissed.”  

In an interview last year, Caprio and the man meet again and share an emotional embrace. “The best friend I ever had,” the man says. “There is not a better man on earth than you.” 

The two men had only met once, briefly, and yet Caprio had left an indelible mark. We long to make a difference, and yet how often we overlook the everyday opportunities to do just that by being kind. 

2. Faith and action

Another viral clip features a woman whose father had been killed and who had been given penalties totalling $400.

“We all have life’s challenges,” Caprio tells her. “We can face them in two ways: we can either crumble and succumb to them, or we can rise above them. And I’m sure you have the strength and courage to rise above them. The one thing you don’t have to worry about are these tickets.”

As he so often did, Frank married words with action, encouraging the lady to persevere whilst helping her practically, echoing the words about faith and action in James 2:15-17.

3. The colour of mercy

Caprio had a wonderful habit of inviting the children of defendants up alongside him to help him reach a verdict.

In the “The Breakfast Verdict”, he presents a girl with four options for her mother who had been given parking fines, from paying the full penalties to dismissing the case. The girl goes for option three, a reduced $50 fine. But Caprio has another option – the girl’s mother’s case is dismissed, so long as she takes her children out for breakfast.

Caprio said, “I don’t wear a badge under my robe. I wear a heart under my robe.

In a world where justice is often seen in black and white, Caprio brought colour through mercy – and in the most creative of ways. It reflects how he leant on “the rule of common sense” and how verdicts that make a defendant’s life worse is not justice.  

4. Paying forward mercy 

In another case, Caprio tells the defendant, “You have to help somebody else. People out there will have similar problems, and you are going to be in a situation to help them.” 

It’s a modern-day example of Jesus’ parable about the servant who refused to clear a debt, despite having his own debt cleared. “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” his master asks (Matthew 18:33). 

Through Jesus, God has lavished unconditional mercy on all of us. When we have opportunities to extend mercy to others, perhaps when they don’t deserve it, will we do it? 

5. “Snow day” 

Despite his reputation for niceness, Caprio was no pushover, and he was quick to spot a “snow day” – that is, when someone was trying to pull the wool over his eyes.  

In one case, Caprio highlights where a man’s testimony doesn’t quite hold up. He doesn’t let him off the hook, but he shows some leniency because of his young family.  

How easy it is to take advantage of grace – something Paul was keen for believers in Rome to avoid: “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!” (Romans 6:1).  

The defendant here likely went away put in his place, whilst still experiencing the same compassion and grace that so many others did in Caprio’s courtroom. A marriage of justice and mercy – just as we have all experienced as Christians.  

Caprio once said, “I don’t wear a badge under my robe. I wear a heart under my robe.” What a big heart it was – a heart that pointed to Jesus, and a heart that will keep touching others long after he’s now gone.