Aspiring Magazine’s soon-to-be cover star, Judge Frank Caprio, is not your average judge. In fact, his raving loyal fans (and your Google search engine!) have coined him to be “the nicest judge in the world” due to the unconventional ways in which he conducts his courtroom.
Judge Frank Caprio exceeds all expectations of a typical court hearing with the compassionate, humorous, and heartfelt interactions that take place between all who take the stand. Which leads to no surprise that his television show, Caught in Providence, quickly captured the hearts of its viewers as they experienced Judge Caprio’s unique style for themselves. In 2021, the television show was even nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award!
Of course after digging into Judge Caprio’s humble backstory and seeing the outpour of immense love from his fans across social media, I was intrigued to see for myself what made Judge Caprio an icon in the courtroom. On YouTube I found a highlight reel, posted by user MsMojo, that contained what’s said to be Judge Caprio’s 10 most heartwarming verdicts.
If you’re also curious about Judge Caprio’s courtroom flair, here’s a small glimpse into each clip so you can be the judge…
The Graduation Clause: In this case, a young high school boy was caught on camera driving through a red light. The defendant took the stand claiming that the light was yellow. With the footage clearly showing otherwise, Judge Caprio jokingly said “but then it turned red on you, snuck up on you?” provoking a smile from the young boy who couldn’t help but surrender his argument. After an exchange of laughter and realizing that the young boy had college dreams, Judge Caprio decided to ultimately waive the violation under one condition– that the young man earn a college degree.
Honesty is The Best Policy: After a father was charged for going 10 mph over the speed limit, he found himself standing before Judge Caprio. After some questioning, Judge Caprio invited the man’s family– his wife and son– to the stand. His wife claimed “I didn’t feel like we were exceeding too much over the limit, just a little.” Which inspired a bout of laughter from the Judge and the defendant to say with a smile, “she’s the honest one!” Judge Caprio then called the defendant’s elementary aged son to the stand and said “what do you think, guilty or not guilty?” The little boy didn’t hesitate to incriminate his father and say guilty. The entire courtroom immediately burst into laughter, including the defendant and his wife, at the young boy’s honest innocence. And since honesty is always the best policy, Judge Caprio decided to dismiss the charge and praised the young boy for his honesty.
Learning How To Stop: In this comical case, a woman came to court in defense of two red light violation tickets only to discover she had received another ticket for the same offense before the other two. Looking for a miracle, she formulated the rather ridiculous argument that had she known about the first ticket she wouldn’t have received the other two because she would have known she had to stop. Judge Caprio’s face immediately showcased a puzzled expression (as did the audience’s) as the woman chuckled at her own poorly constructed story. After sharing in the laughter, Judge Caprio ended with “alright, pay the clerk!”
Let Me Give You a Better Argument: A woman was caught on camera driving through a red light. She claimed that the truck in front of her had blocked her view of the light changing. Judge Caprio swiftly pointed out that couldn’t be the case and even tried to support the defendant in fine tuning her argument. Unfortunately, she chose to not take the Judge’s advice and carried on with her original claim. Judge Caprio snickered and remarked, “you don’t listen too well” as he generously dismissed her case anyhow.
Ridiculously Close Ticket: This case raised Judge Caprio’s eyebrow right from the start as he read through the papers and muttered “oh no” with a grin spanning across his face. A woman received a parking violation on a street that prohibited parking from 8am-10am. She pulled up and parked at 9:58 and was issued the ticket at 9:59:58. Judge Caprio clearly found this nonsensical and jokingly threatened jail time for the woman’s offense. The courtroom was left in tears belly laughing as Judge Caprio carried on with banter about the absurdity of the ticket.
Instantly Dismissed: A helmet clad man came to court to argue a parking ticket. When he explained that his son was picking him up from the hospital after his recent brain surgery and was issued a ticket for parking next to a fire hydrant, Judge Caprio’s huge heart instantly dismissed the charge. As the man walked away, the Judge called him back to ask him how he was doing and genuinely extend well wishes for his recovery.
Your Sentence is Breakfast: They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and Judge Caprio agrees! On two separate occasions he dismissed violations after calling the children of the defendants to the stand on their parent’s behalf. After some questioning, he asked the children if they had eaten breakfast yet that day. When they replied no, he dismissed the charges on the condition that the parents take their children out to breakfast with the money they’d be saving from the tickets.
Way Too Many Lights: A man was charged with going through a red light, to which he admitted to. He claimed there were “mad lights” at the intersection and he got confused as to which was assigned to his lane. After watching the footage, Judge Caprio agreed with the young man and started questioning the traffic controllers who designed that intersection. After carefully looking into the man’s argument instead of instantly dismissing it, Judge Caprio waived the ticket stating “he had a great argument, he came in well prepared today!” leaving the whole courtroom in laughter.
A Veteran’s Speech: In this case, a veteran received a ticket for parking on the sidewalk at a hospital where he was receiving medical treatment. The man argued on behalf of himself and other veterans who receive treatment there, to receive a smaller fine for a first time offense and also brought awareness to the fact that the parking is always problematic at this establishment. Judge Caprio dismissed the case with the closing statement: “Whether it’s in combat, active duty in a foreign country, or here, it makes no difference. They have sacrificed a period of their life to serve this country. In disposing of this case what I’m going to say to you sir is thank you for your service and the matter is dismissed.” In gratitude, the defendant went on to reciprocate the Judge by thanking him for his years of service to the community.
Grieving Mother: This heartwarming segment caught national attention as a mother approached the stand in tears with ticket charges totaling over $400 stating, “I’m just really having a tough time, your honor.” During the proceedings the woman completely broke down revealing the tickets accumulated while she was being evicted and managing her late son’s affairs after his recent death just a year prior. A concerned and caring Caprio reduced the defendant’s charges down to $50. When she shared that would leave her with only $5 total, he immediately said “I’m not gonna leave you with just $5, I’m going to dismiss everything” and wished her all the best on her future endeavors.
And there you have it! Cased closed. It is true that Judge Caprio may in fact just be the nicest judge in the world. He shows genuine care for each case and, more importantly, each person that approaches his bench. With fair and reasonable trial, he takes his defendant’s story, argument, and circumstances to heart to set them up for a more successful future. Judge Caprio is certainly doing his part to change the world one act of kindness at a time!
Written by Christi Pratte: Christi is a luxury brand copywriter, freelance ghostwriter/copywriter, and contributor to some of the top women’s success platforms and magazines in the industry. She’s the founder of HustlePretty.Co, a brand centered around empowering women in their lives and careers, as well as Ghost Girl, a freelance writing service for female entrepreneurs.