The John W. Ballou Award is the highest honor given out annually by the Maine State Bar Association. Past recipients include U.S. Senators Edmund Muskie, Olympia Snowe, Margaret Chase Smith, George Mitchell, Gov. Jim Longley, U.S. District Judge Edward Gignoux and Bangor radio personality George Hale.

In June, another person joins this illustrious list. Catherine Moore, Lincoln County Register of Probate, is the 2026 recipient. She was nominated by local attorneys David Levesque, William Avantaggio, Meegan Burbank and County Administrator Carrie Kipfer. The award is named for a Bangor lawyer and founding father of the Maine State Bar Association's Overseers of the Bar. The award recognizes a Maine resident or native who demonstrates qualities in keeping with the aims and purposes of the bar association and exemplifies Ballou's example.

In their May 5 nomination, Levesque, Avantaggio, Burbank and Kipfer wrote: "She has dedicated her career to the Registry of Probate and legal community. She presents a positive image of the legal community. She has great interaction with citizens creating a positive image of the probate court."

Moore will be recognized at the Maine State Bar Association's summer conference on Thursday, June 25 at Samoset Resort in Rockport.