“Nicest Judge in the World,” Dies at 88
Frank Caprio, the genial face of Providence Municipal Court who became the internet’s favorite jurist, passed away on August 20 at age 88 after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. His death, announced via his Instagram page, leaves a somber imprint on a world that—thanks to Caprio—learned to expect rare kindness from its courts.
Born in Federal Hill, Providence in 1936, Caprio’s life was equal parts heart and hustle. He taught high school by day while attending law school by night. He served in the National Guard, served on Providence’s city council, and finally ascended to Chief Judge of the city’s municipal court in 1985, where he remained until 2023.
It was Caprio’s courtroom, however, that catapulted him to global affection. On Caught in Providence, local citations—parking tickets, traffic fines—became the stage for something far richer: empathy. An elderly man fishes for spare change to pay a citation; Caprio waves him off with a wry wink. A distraught college student pleads her case, life’s earnest weight heaping around her; he smiles, dismisses the ticket, and lightens her load immeasurably.
Perhaps one of his most endearing moments involved a 96-year-old with a speeding infraction—Caprio let the driver off, not with condescension, but with the warmth of a grandfather who knew the truth of mortality and the kindness it deserves.
To millions of viewers, Caprio was “the nicest judge in the world,” a title he carried not as self-aggrandizement but as an unexpected mantle he wore with humble grace. “I don’t wear a badge under my robe,” he once said, “I wear my heart.”
Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee, honoring his memory, ordered flags flown at half-staff, calling Caprio a “Rhode Island treasure,” whose legacy lay not just in laws enforced, but in humanity restored.
Caprio is survived by his wife of nearly sixty years, Joyce; five children; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
His career was defined not by legal acrobatics, but by the simpler, more challenging task of mercy. In moments when the law often appears cold and mechanical, Judge Frank Caprio reminded us it could also be warm, gracious, and deeply, uncompromisingly human.
