Supreme Court Takes Case Of Man Who Says State Tried To Snatch Plane Over Beer
The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear a case of an Alaska bush pilot claiming authorities are violating his Eighth Amendment rights after they tried to seize his airplane over beer.
The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear the case of an Alaska bush pilot claiming authorities violated his Eighth Amendment rights after they tried to seize his airplane over beer.
In 2012, pilot Kenneth Jouppi was attempting to take a passenger to a remote village called Beaver, where alcohol is banned. Before the plane departed, state police troopers searched Jouppi’s plane and found a six-pack of Budweiser beer in the passenger’s luggage, according to NBC News.
Jouppi, his company and the passenger were charged with a misdemeanor for knowingly transporting an alcoholic beverage into a dry community. In 2025, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled in the state’s favor, holding that Jouppi’s $95,000 plane was subject to criminal forfeiture laws, CBS News reported.
The passenger pleaded guilty and a jury convicted Jouppi and his company after a trial. Jouppi then spent three days in jail, according to NBC News.
“Alcohol abuse is a serious problem in rural Alaska, and airplanes are sometimes the only realistic means to commit the crime of alcohol importation,” Alaska state attorneys wrote according to NBC News.
Jouppi sued, claiming that the attempted seizure of his plane was a violation of the Eighth Amendment under the excessive fines clause, according to the lawsuit. Arguments for the case will be heard in the fall, per the outlet.
The Bill of Rights amendment