On September 28, 2025, NACDL and the NACDL Foundation for Criminal Justice presented

BBQ, Bluegrass and Blue Jeans

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David S. Rudolf

David Rudolf is one of the preeminent trial lawyers in the country, specializing in high-profile and complex criminal and civil rights cases. Mr. Rudolf has been listed for more than twenty-five years in the Best Lawyers in America and was one of only three criminal defense lawyers selected for the inaugural class of the North Carolina Lawyer Hall of Fame. In recent years, in addition to his work defending individuals accused of crimes in federal and state courts, he has successfully represented individuals in civil rights litigation against law enforcement agencies arising from wrongful convictions. He is the co-host, with his partner, Sonya Pfeiffer, of the award-winning podcast, Abuse of Power.

David has taught Trial Advocacy at the UNC School of Law and for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, and Criminal Litigation at Duke University School of Law. He has also been recognized for his work with professional organizations, serving in various leadership positions in the ABA Criminal Justice Section, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers and Advocates for Justice. He has received world-wide acclaim for his representation of Michael Peterson in The Staircase on Netflix.

Elizabeth Blackwood

Beth Blackwood is an Assistant Federal Defender for the Western District of North Carolina.  Prior to this role, Beth served as Counsel & Director for the First Step Act Resource Center at the NACDL. As Director, Beth led NACDL’s policy work ensuring the full implementation of the First Step Act and, in collaboration with our long-term partner on these efforts FAMM, Beth headed up the Compassionate Release Clearinghouse for four years. Prior to joining NACDL, Beth practiced for eleven years as an Assistant Federal Defender and Research and Writing Attorney at the Federal Public Defenders of Western North Carolina, where she represented indigent defendants charged with a wide variety of federal crimes, including drug and firearm offenses, violent crimes, fraud, and sex offenses. Beth represented clients through every stage of a criminal case, including pre-indictment, pretrial, plea negotiations, trial, and sentencing.

She also handled numerous habeas proceedings and appeals before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and previously served on the Clemency Project 2014 to assist federal inmates petitioning to have their sentences commuted by the President of the United States. Prior to the Federal Public Defenders, she practiced for several years at a large Chicago law firm where she worked extensively on criminal and pro bono matters, including the representation of a Georgia inmate in a capital habeas corpus proceeding and the management of the firm’s pro bono clinic that provided legal services to indigent Chicagoans. She holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, where she was an Executive Editor of the Michigan Journal of Race and Law.