$35,000 Prize: ‘Legislator X’ Wins Lava Tube Award
News Release from Big Island Press Club, March 21, 2026
The Big Island Press Club is awarding its annual meritorious Torch of Light Award to Mark Recktenwald, who served as Hawaii’s chief justice from 2010 to 2025.
In addition, BIPC is awarding its Lava Tube dishonor to “Legislator X,” the elected official caught on tape accepting a paper bag containing $35,000, according to federal court records.
The Torch of Light award is given to an individual or entity for illuminating the public’s right to know, while the Lava Tube dishonor is given for a lack of communication and keeping the public in the dark.
As it has for past 28 years, the 59-year-old press club announces the awards yearly on March 16, Freedom of Information Day. The date marks the birthday of James Madison, widely regarded as the father of the U.S. Constitution and the leading advocate for openness in government among our founders.
Torch of Light Honor
Recktenwald leaves an enduring legacy of public service that transformed the Judiciary, bringing the court to the people.
Under his watch, Hawaii state courts rolled out electronic filing and implemented remote proceedings statewide. More cameras came into the courtroom and access to court documents was simplified.
Recktenwald, a former UPI reporter stationed in Honolulu, understands the importance of a free press and its role in democracy. He addressed BIPC scholarship winners in a Zoom session during the pandemic, stressing the importance of their work in maintaining a free society.
Since his mandatory retirement at age 70, Rectenwald has joined the Alliance of Former Chief Justices, a nonpartisan initiative launched in December 2025 by Keep Our Republic to defend judicial independence, the rule of law and the constitutional balance. The group engages in public education, working with legal, media, and community organizations to support a fair, impartial judiciary.
The iconic torch award will be presented to Recktenwald at BIPC’s annual meeting later this year.
Lava Tube Dubious Honor
The identity of “Legislator X” is still unknown to the public. This person was allegedly recorded by a wired FBI informant accepting $35,000 in a paper bag from an also unnamed person. Nor, four years later, have the two investigative agencies — federal and state — been forthcoming about the details of this investigation.
The statute of limitations on a bribery case expires in 2027.
What we do know, from media reports and the rare unredacted federal court records that have been unsealed is this: Ty Cullen, former legislator and vice chairman of the powerful House Finance Committee, pleaded guilty and agreed to be a government informant in a bribery case that sent him and another sitting legislator, former Sen. J. Kalani English, to federal prison.
Both have already served their sentences and been released.
Cullen’s recorded actions kept investigators investigating. And they still are. In the midst of it, Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke disclosed that she had taken campaign checks — but not in a paper bag — from an associate of Cullen’s during a dinner with Cullen and the contributor. Luke, who was House Finance Committee chairwoman at the time and running for higher office, recently disclosed the checks that weren’t on her 2022 campaign finance report until the lapse was pointed out by Civil Beat, with its coverage providing most of the few details we know.
“Ethical — and perhaps legal — breaches aren’t usually a subject of the Big Island Press Club’s Lava Tube award. But a lack of transparency is. Thus Legislator X, who we still can’t identify, is the winner of this year’s Lava Tube award,” said BIPC board member Nancy Cook Lauer.
Previous Torch of Light Honorees
- 2024 Julia Neal, founder and publisher of Ka’u Calendar (posthumously)
- 2023 Daniel Foley, retired Intermediate Court of Appeals judge
- 2022 Cindy Reves, Hawaii state director for the Journalism Education Association
- 2021 State Sen. Dru Mamo Kanuha
- 2020 James Hustace and the Waimea Community Association
- 2019 W.H. Shipman Ltd. President Margaret “Peggy” Farias
- 2018 Sue Lee Loy, Hawaii County Councilwoman
- 2017 Brian Black of the Civil Beat Law Center
- 2016 West Hawaii Today reporter Nancy Cook Lauer
- 2015 State Sen. Lorraine Inouye
- 2014 USGS HVO Scientists
- 2013 Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi
- 2012 County Councilwoman and State Rep. Helene Hale (posthumously)
- 2011 State Judicial Selection Commission
- 2010 Hawaii County Civil Defense and other departments
- 2009 Legislature, Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle
- 2008 Les Kondo, Office of Information Practices
- 2007 West Hawaii Today
- 2006 Lillian Koller, State Department of Human Services
- 2005 Retired Circuit Judge Paul de Silva
- 2004 UH Manoa Journalism Professor Beverly Keever
- 2003 U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink (posthumously)
- 2002 Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim
- 2001 Hawaii County Clerk Al Konishi
- 2000 Hawaii Gov. Ben Cayetano
- 1999 Jerry Rothstein and Judith Graham
- 1998 Environment Hawaii and Common Cause
- 1997 Society of Professional Journalists, Hawaii Chapter
Previous Lava Tube Dishonorees
- 2024 Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA)
- 2023 HI-EMA Administrator James Barros
- 2022 Hawaii Gov. David Ige
- 2021 Group of 10 senators, led by Sen. Kalani English
- 2020 Hawaii Gov. David Ige
- 2019 Pohakuloa Training Area Public Affairs Officer Michael Donnelly
- 2018 Hawaii County Civil Defense
- 2017 Hawaii Office of Information Practices
- 2016 Former Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi
- 2015 State Land Board Chairwoman Suzanne Case
- 2014 State Chief Elections Officer Scott Nago
- 2013 Democratic Party House District 5 Council
- 2012 State Sen. Clayton Hee
- 2011 Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie
- 2010 Hawaii County Council
- 2009 Noelani Whittington, County Department of Public Works
- 2008 Mayor Harry Kim and Hawaii County Council
- 2007 State Board of Education
- 2006 Honolulu, Kauai, and Hawaii County Councils
- 2005 District Judge Matthew S.K. Pyun
- 2004 State Land Board Chairman Peter Young
- 2003 State Sen. Cal Kawamoto
- 2002 University of Hawaii Board of Regents
- 2001 University of Hawaii Board of Regents
- 2000 State Rep. Eric Hamakawa and Hawaii County Councilman James Arakaki
- 1999 Hawaii County Council
- 1998 Hawaii Gov. Ben Cayetano
- 1997 Hawaii County Councilman Elroy Osorio