Event Information

Eva Pilgrim is co-anchor of “GMA3” What You Need to Know” and an ABC News correspondent based in New York. Her reports can be seen across multiple ABC News programs and platforms, including “20/20,” “Good Morning America,” “Nightline” and “World News Tonight with David Muir.”

Since joining ABC News, Pilgrim has reported on a wide range of breaking news stories, including the recent mass shooting in Nashville, the Alex Murdaugh trial, the Charlottesville rally, the 2020 presidential election, the murder of George Floyd, and Hurricanes Matthew, Harvey, Irma, Maria and Michael.

In the aftermath of the Atlanta mass shooting and the increase in anti-Asian American hate crimes around the country, Pilgrim co-anchored a live special edition of “20/20,” “Murder in Atlanta.” She also co-anchored the ABC News Live special “Stop the Hate: The Rise in Violence Against Asian Americans.” This primetime special reported on the events that have led to anti-Asian violence, explored why America is paying attention now and profiled the new activism emerging in the AAPI community.

Prior to ABC News, Pilgrim got her start in local news making stops in Bluefield, West Virginia; Columbia, South Carolina; Charlotte, North Carolina; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In 2021, Pilgrim published her children’s book, “Walter Does His Best,” which teaches children about kindness and love.

Pilgrim was born in Seoul, South Korea, into a military family and grew up moving around the world. She attended the University of Florida and the University of South Carolina.

(via ABC.com)

• The Class Action Program, which brings middle- and high-school students to the state Supreme Court to hear oral arguments.
• The Case of the Month Program, which provides streaming video of a case argued before the state Supreme Court. Students are allowed to review the briefs submitted for the case and watch the proceedings.
• South Carolina Supreme Court Institute, which is held for middle- and high-school social-studies teachers to teach them how to bring law to life for their students.

John Monk has covered courts, crime, politics, public corruption, the environment and other issues in the Carolinas for more than 40 years. A U.S. Army veteran who covered the 1989 American invasion of Panama, Monk is a former Washington correspondent for The Charlotte Observer. He has covered numerous death penalty trials, including those of the Charleston church killer, Dylann Roof, serial killer Pee Wee Gaskins and child killer Tim Jones. Monk's hobbies include hiking, books, languages, music and a lot of other things. 

Joseph M. McCulloch, Jr. is a seasoned litigator and former prosecutor with over forty years of experience. He approaches legal problems with a creative sophistication, competence, and confidence borne of years in the courtroom. Mr. McCulloch is a strategist and problem solver. As a member of the South Carolina Bar since 1977, he is dedicated to representing and defending clients accused of serious crimes both in federal and state courts. Mr. McCulloch is a founder and past president of the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and longtime member of the South Carolina Association of Justice and the National Association of Civil Defense Lawyers. A frequent lecturer to attorneys and judges, he has annually provided the criminal law evidence update at the statewide meeting of the South Carolina Bar Association for over 15 years. 

Before starting his own practice in 1996, Mr. McCulloch was a partner in a law firm in Columbia, South Carolina where he concentrated in the areas of criminal defense and personal injury litigation. Earlier in his career, he worked with the South Carolina Supreme Court where he trained summary court judges among his other responsibilities and has continued presentations to the state’s magistrates annually. He also served as a career Prosecutor with the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office in Columbia, South Carolina. 

In addition to civil and criminal litigation, Mr. McCulloch has worked with numerous sports and entertainment clients. He served as Associate Counsel to the University of South Carolina and later as external counsel and has frequently advised NCAA collegiate institutions and coaches in athletic and disciplinary matters. He has served as counsel for institutions overseeing independent investigative reviews. For approximately 27 years, Mr. McCulloch has taught at the University of South Carolina Law School in the areas of Sports and/or Entertainment Law and Criminal Law. 

In addition to his law practice, Mr. McCulloch is dedicated to a better community. He is a founder and current president of Palmetto Innocence, an endeavor marshalling the assistance of volunteer lawyers in an effort to discover and exonerate those wrongfully convicted and has dedicated hundreds of hours toward this mission. He has served on various boards and commissions and provides counsel to groups and organizations. Mr. McCulloch is also a court certified civil mediator. 

Mr. McCulloch received his B.A. from the University of South Carolina in 1974 and his J.D. Degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1977. He is the proud recipient of the Presidential Citation for Legal Advocacy for Extraordinary Service in Protecting the Civil Rights of South Carolinians presented by the South Carolina State NAACP.

Valerie Bauerlein covers national affairs for The Wall Street Journal from Raleigh, N.C. She has a special interest in small-town America and Southern politics, economics and culture.

Valerie has covered the South Carolina presidential primaries for The Wall Street Journal since 2008. She has also covered natural and manmade disasters, from Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast and the mass slayings at Emanuel Church in Charleston to the deadly condominium collapse in Surfside, Fla. She has written features about Nascar, roller coasters, beauty pageants and Waffle House.

Previously, Valerie covered Coke, Pepsi and the beverage and snack industry for the Journal from Atlanta. She also covered Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Wachovia and other regional banks from their acquisition tear in 2005 to the crash in 2008. She began her career at The Shelby (N.C.) Star and worked as a cops reporter at the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal, a legislative reporter at The State (Columbia, S.C.) and congressional correspondent for the News & Observer (Raleigh).

Valerie is the author of “The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty” (Ballantine, 2024).