The Judge Who Remembered the Widow

In 2018, a municipal judge in Providence, Rhode Island named Frank Caprio went viral for something almost unheard of in American courtrooms — mercy. An elderly widow appeared before him over a parking ticket she received while visiting her husband's grave. She was on a fixed income, visibly shaking, clutching the citation in both hands. Judge Caprio listened. He didn't rush. He didn't lecture. He dismissed the fine entirely, then asked if she needed help getting to her car.

What struck millions who watched the video wasn't just kindness — it was authority wielded on behalf of the vulnerable. Here was a man with real power over someone's day, someone's finances, someone's dignity, and he bent that power downward.

The psalmist prayed for exactly this kind of ruler. "Give the king your justice, O God," David wrote, envisioning a leader who would "defend the cause of the poor" and "deliver the needy." Under such leadership, righteousness would flourish "like rain falling on mown grass" — not power that scorches, but power that nourishes.

Every earthly judge eventually leaves the bench. But Psalm 72 points beyond Providence, Rhode Island, to a King whose justice never adjourns. The One whose righteous reign makes everything it touches grow. Blessed be the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds — and who never, ever forgets the widow at the window.