August 22, 2025 06:51 AM IST First published on: Aug 22, 2025 at 06:51 AM ISTShareFor most people, a courtroom is an intimidating place. It is infused with a sense of its own importance, most visible — with less justification — in the lawyers who inhabit it. And, high above, on her pedestal, sits the judge. Black-robed, with a gavel to hammer justice home, the judge pronounces verdicts on matters as mundane as traffic fines and neighbours’ quarrels to weightier issues of wealth and marriage, family and freedom, fraternity and liberty. Between the bureaucracy of the system and the cold rationality of the law, the human factor often goes missing. Too often, the law and its officers treat unequals equally. Not so with Judge Frank Caprio, who died this week aged 88. The municipal judge in Rhode Island in the US was known for his kindness and leniency, and, over the past few years, became a social media star.A judge for over 40 years, Caprio became well-known through his hit TV show, Caught in Providence. Over the last few years, clips from the reality programme — it showed Caprio dealing with cases in his court, from traffic violations to custody battles — made him something of a global star. His form of delivering justice was anything but blind: He would inquire into the circumstances of the accused, sympathise with their struggles. He would waive fines for single parents rushing to work, trying to make ends meet. He would listen to immigrants’ stories and admire their grit and struggle. Often, he would invite the children of those in the dock to come up to his seat and hold his gavel — heartwarming gestures that made a judge seem human in the best way possible.AdvertisementAt a time when the internet is a source of division, “the nicest judge in the world” was a breath of fresh air. Across the world, the fates of migrants, of the people at the bottom of the pyramid, are determined by men and women in black robes who must leave their biases at the door. Perhaps, though, like Caprio, they can carry empathy into the courtroom.