It is with deep sadness that I inform you of the passing of our former colleague retired Judge Owen Lee Kwong on Friday, April 29, 2022. Judge Kwong will be dearly missed by those of us who knew him and valued his friendship. He was a judicial trailblazer in the Asian legal community and one of our most respected colleagues.

Judge Kwong began his career on the bench in 1989 when then-Governor George Deukmejian appointed him to the Los Angeles Municipal Court. In 1993, Judge Kwong was elevated to the Los Angeles Superior Court by then-Governor Pete Wilson with his first assignment to Central Civil. He was assigned to Compton Courthouse in 1994 for two years, returned to Central Civil for one year in 1996, moved to Juvenile Court in Monterey Park from 1997 to 1998, and then sat at Central Civil West Courthouse in 1999. In 2000, Judge Kwong was assigned to Pomona Juvenile for one year and from 2001 until his retirement in 2015, Judge Kwong was assigned to Central Civil at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. He retired from the bench on April 30, 2015. For more information on Judge Kwong’s life and career, I have attached his Los Angeles Superior Court profile.

A funeral service is scheduled for May 28, 2022, at the Rose Hills Cemetery in the SkyRose Chapel from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.