Judge Roxanne K. Song Ong,
AWLA Member and Class of 1978 at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law was honored as a 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient on November 7, 2025.
Judge Roxanne K. Song Ong has served the Arizona criminal justice system for more than 40 years, breaking barriers as the first Asian American woman lawyer and the first Asian American woman judge in the state. A Phoenix native and the daughter of Chinese immigrants, she earned her BA in Education from Arizona State University in 1975 and her JD from the University of Arizona College of Law in 1978. She began her career practicing criminal prosecution, criminal defense and immigration law.
Judge Song Ong was appointed to the Scottsdale City Court in 1986, launching a distinguished judicial career. In 1991, she joined the Phoenix Municipal Court, where she became assistant presiding judge in 2000. Five years later, she was appointed chief presiding judge—the first woman and first person of color to hold that position—overseeing one of the busiest high-volume courts in the country until her retirement in 2014.
Her tenure was marked by innovative reforms, including enhanced DUI case management and the establishment of specialty and problem-solving courts. Phoenix’s Veterans Court, Homeless Court, Mental Health Court and Domestic Violence Court became national models under her leadership. Judge Song Ong continues to teach and serve on numerous boards and commissions, and presides as a Pro Tem judge across various jurisdictions.
Judge Song Ong has received many honors and awards throughout her career, including the 2009 National Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s Southwest Region Trailblazers Award, recognizing outstanding achievements and leadership of lawyers who have paved the way for the advancement of other Asian Pacific American attorneys; the Arizona Supreme Court’s 2013 Judge of the Year; induction into the Maricopa County Bar Association’s 2013 Hall of Fame; and the 2016 University of Arizona Law College Association and the University of Arizona Alumni Association’s Public Service Award.
Married since 1978, Judge Song Ong and her husband, Rick, are the proud parents of two children and four grandchildren.