Podcast Summary: The Daily Beans
Episode: Refried Beans | Know Your Rights (feat. Monica Hopkins)
Date Aired: December 28, 2025 (Original episode replayed from December 25, 2024)
Host: Allison Gill (AG)
Guest: Monica Hopkins (Executive Director, ACLU of DC)
Episode Overview
This episode, a special "Refried Beans" retrospective, revisits a timely conversation from late 2024 with Monica Hopkins of the ACLU of DC. Host Allison Gill and Hopkins explore the threats to civil liberties posed by the incoming Trump administration, the crucial role of the courts and advocacy organizations, strategies for resisting harmful policies, and practical guidance for exercising and protecting individual rights moving forward. The tone blends urgency, deep policy insight, and practical activism, with AG's signature wit and Monica’s pragmatic advocacy.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The New Landscape for Civil Liberties
[01:00–02:14]
- AG frames the context: With democracy’s guardrails under strain, especially with Trump’s return, the courts and NGOs like the ACLU become “our last best guardrails.”
- Monica Hopkins shares her long tenure at the ACLU (10 years in DC; 16 total), with a background in LGBTQIA and immigrant rights.
Quote:
"Our last best guardrails left in place for democracy are the courts... so we all can do the work of slowing down some of the incoming Trump administration’s policies, because there’ll be no more adults in the room." — AG [01:08]
2. Immigration, Deportation, and How to Slow Harmful Policies
[02:14–06:53]
- Mass deportation is logistically, legally, and practically difficult – the ACLU plans to use litigation to challenge every procedural misstep.
- AG and Monica discuss how previous Trump admin officials, such as Chad Wolf, were successfully sued for unlawful appointments, and foresee similar strategies.
- Litigation isn’t just about the “big headline cases” (e.g., family separation), but also about using procedural law, administrative process, and oversight to challenge and delay.
Quote:
"Organizations like the ACLU have been thinking about this for a while—not just in the court systems, but what would need to happen in order to make [mass deportation] a reality. And what do we want in place to sort of gum up the system, as you say?" — Monica Hopkins [03:33]
3. Defending the Right to Protest in a Hostile Climate
[07:09–10:00]
- AG recalls the anti-protest actions of the Trump era (militarization, targeting protesters) and raises concerns about further crackdowns under Trump 2.0.
- Monica stresses the importance of "knowing your rights," especially for protesters coming to DC, given the many law enforcement agencies there.
- The ACLU provides “know your rights” brochures, and continues to successfully litigate cases involving First Amendment violations (e.g., Lafayette Square).
Quote:
"The most important thing is that folks actually know what their rights are... It’s kind of the most powerful thing that people have in order to protect their rights." — Monica Hopkins [08:22]
4. Contingency Planning for Extreme Scenarios
[10:00–12:28]
- AG pushes into “tinfoil hat” territory: What about martial law, the Insurrection Act, suspension of habeas corpus, etc.?
- Monica affirms the ACLU is actively running legal scenarios for extreme situations, emphasizing faith in the existing legal system and the slow but real checks provided by the courts—even with Trump-appointed judges.
Quote:
"We sued the Trump administration 1.0 over 434 times, and you know, when we won even with Trump-appointed judges." — Monica Hopkins [11:49]
5. Schedule F and Protection of Federal Workers
[12:42–15:24]
- AG highlights anxiety among federal workers as Trump threatens to reimplement Schedule F, effectively firing or reassigning anyone not seen as politically loyal.
- Monica points out that these are unconstitutional retaliations, stresses existing legal protections, and says ACLU will monitor and fight improper firings or restructuring.
Quote:
"It would mean a wholesale transformation of our federal government... because they’re beholden to carrying out the policies of an administration rather than the administration of government as it is." — Monica Hopkins [14:21]
6. DC Statehood and Home Rule
[15:51–19:06]
- AG asks about fears that DC could lose “home rule,” or even be absorbed into another state.
- Monica describes the Home Rule Act, which gives DC the trappings of statehood but allows Congressional interference.
- She notes the record number of Congressional attempts to override DC autonomy, sometimes on trivial local policies.
Quote:
"No one would ever think that that was okay, because no Nebraska people were elected in the state of Idaho. And yet the Home Rule Act allows us to do all those things that a state would, but Congress can interfere in those three ways." — Monica Hopkins [17:23]
7. The Criminal Justice System – Reform and Due Process
[19:08–24:14]
- AG and Monica reflect on the paradox: The “wheels of justice move slowly” to protect due process, but this can allow for disparate application. The goal should be raising everyone’s standards, not lowering them.
- Monica stresses the critical role juries play in preventing government overreach, and how due process rights must be safeguarded for all—not just the powerful.
Quote:
“Jury trials are just such a powerful thing in our democracy for people who sit on juries to understand that their role is really to prevent government overreach.” — Monica Hopkins [22:16]
8. How Listeners Can Support the ACLU
[25:35–27:50]
- Monica urges listeners to join the ACLU as members, donate, and share resources. The organization also welcomes volunteer attorneys and offers tools to help advocates explain D.C. statehood and protest rights to friends and family.
- The battle will be long-term, not just for the next four years.
Quote:
"The resources, you know, we need the resources for the long haul. There is what is right in front of us another four years. But as we saw with the Trump administration, one, we will be here as the ACLU even past this administration to ensure that civil rights and civil liberties are protected..." — Monica Hopkins [26:12]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “Our last best guardrails left in place for democracy are the courts.” — AG [01:08]
- "Organizations like the ACLU have been thinking about this for a while...What do we want in place to sort of gum up the system, as you say?” — Hopkins [03:33]
- "The most important thing is that folks actually know what their rights are.” — Hopkins [08:22]
- "We sued the Trump administration 1.0 over 434 times, and...we won even with Trump-appointed judges.” — Hopkins [11:49]
- "Supporting the ACLU is a way that the average everyday person can help fight to protect the criminal justice system.” — AG [20:58]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 01:00 – Monica Hopkins’ ACLU tenure and background
- 03:18 – ACLU strategies against mass deportation
- 04:59 – Legal tactics: unlawful appointments and procedural challenges
- 07:09 – Protest rights under renewed threat
- 10:00 – Contingency planning for extreme scenarios
- 12:42 – Schedule F and federal employee protections
- 16:22 – DC statehood and Congressional interference
- 19:08 – Criminal justice, due process, and reform efforts
- 25:35 – Action steps and supporting the ACLU
- 27:28 – Attorney and volunteer involvement
Tone and Style
- The episode maintains a thoughtful, urgent, and pragmatic tone, with moments of levity (“tinfoil hat,” “maybe we can turn the wheels of justice a little faster”).
- AG’s unique, warm snark is balanced with Monica’s clear-eyed policy expertise and steady reassurance.
Final Thoughts
Monica Hopkins and the ACLU DC are proactively preparing for a challenging landscape for civil liberties, emphasizing the enduring—if slow—power of the courts, the critical importance of know-your-rights information, and the need for broad-based grassroots support. Whether facing mass deportation schemes, attacks on protest, federal worker purges, or attempts to erode DC’s autonomy, the message is clear: legal guardrails remain, but depend on civic vigilance and widespread engagement.