Congratulations to 2026 Roberts & Deiz Award Recipient
United States District Court Judge Karin Immergut
On June 5, 2026, OWLS and the OWLS Foundation celebrated the Honorable Karin Immergut as the 33rd recipient of the OWLS Roberts & Deiz Award.
The Honorable Karin Immergut has been a dedicated mentor to women attorneys and law clerks throughout her career, as U.S. Attorney for Oregon, as a judge on the Multnomah County Circuit Court, and now as a United States District Court Judge for the District of Oregon.
Judge Immergut’s leadership has expanded opportunities for women and first-generation lawyers in the profession, empowering inclusive state and federal legal communities in Oregon.
About the Award
Justice Betty Roberts (1923-2011) was a leader in Oregon politics, the first woman appointed to the Oregon appellate bench, and a beloved mentor and advocate for women lawyers.
Judge Mercedes Deiz (1917-2005) was a trailblazer in the Oregon Bar as the first Black woman to be admitted to practice law in Oregon and the first woman of color on the Oregon bench. She overcame racial bias throughout her career, and created opportunities for those who might otherwise be marginalized by society, to access legal resources and careers.
The OWLS Roberts & Deiz Award honors the legacies of both Justice Roberts and Judge Deiz as promoters of those from non-dominant cultures (e.g. women, people of color, LGBTQ, and those with disabilities).
Screening and Selection Criteria
Any graduate from an accredited law school, residing or doing business in the state of Oregon, except a member of the OWLS Board of Directors, OWLS Foundation, or the OWLS Roberts & Deiz Award Dinner Committee, is eligible to receive the OWLS Roberts & Deiz Award, of which more than one award may be given out in a single calendar year.
Former nominees may be re-nominated. Award recipients are selected based on outstanding personal and professional contributions to promoting non-dominant cultures (women, people of color, LGBTQ, and those with disabilities) in either the legal profession or the community at-large.
While the committee considers leadership activities and service, activities and conduct that evidence a nominee’s efforts toward promoting those from non-dominant cultures will be more helpful to the committee and to the OWLS Board of Directors in selecting recipients.
Examples of the kinds of work OWLS hopes to recognize through the OWLS Roberts & Deiz Award include: mentoring and providing opportunities for lawyers from non-dominant cultures to thrive, working to bridge the gap between the legal profession and non-dominant cultures in the community at-large, and working behind the scenes as an unsung hero/leader to mentor and highlight the struggles of those outside the dominant culture, whether in the legal profession or the community at-large.
*Nominees do not have to physically reside or work in Oregon to be eligible for the OWLS Roberts & Deiz Award. However, their contributions to promoting individuals from outside the dominant culture must be in Oregon.
Award Recipients
Chanpone Sinlapasai, 2018
Elisa Dozono, 2019
Judge Katherine Tennyson, 2019
Gina Johnnie, 2020
Doug Park, 2020
Judge Susan Graber, 2022
Tristen Edwards, 2023
Lisa Hay, 2023
Juan Chavez, 2024
Judge Maalik Summer, 2024
Lorena Reynolds, 2025
Judge Karin Immergut, 2026
OWLS Award History
Judge Betty Roberts Award (1992-2017)
Judge Mercedes Deiz Award (1992-2017)
