Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald was honored with the Spirit of Justice Award by the Hawaii Justice Foundation (HJF) at their annual meeting on October 29. This marks the second time Chief Justice Recktenwald has received this award. Alongside him, Kevin Block, founding attorney of Maui Immigration Law, LLC, and Aviam Soifer, former Dean of the University of Hawaiʻi William S. Richardson School of Law, were also recipients.
William S. Hunt, President of HJF, highlighted the significance of the award during his introduction: “The Spirit of Justice is the Foundation’s most prestigious award. It is given annually to individuals who have shown consistent and meaningful contributions to access to civil justice for Hawaiʻi’s people. Those receiving this award have demonstrated a true commitment to the ideals and implementation of justice.”
Robert J. LeClair, Executive Director of HJF, explained their decision: “We selected Chief Justice Recktenwald to receive the Spirit of Justice in 2017 because of his leadership in bringing access to justice to prominence in Hawaiʻi,” adding that they honored him again as he remains "one of our country’s leaders in access to justice."
The Hawaii Justice Foundation is an independent organization established in 1969 aimed at achieving justice for Hawaiʻi's people through various philanthropic law-related projects.