Alaska wants to seize a pilot's plane over a 6-pack of beer. The Supreme Court will hear his case - MyNorthwest.com

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to review a dispute involving Alaska bush pilot Kenneth Jouppi, who argues the state tried to illegally seize his $95,000 airplane after a passenger brought beer on a flight to a dry village. Jouppi sued to block the seizure after a misdemeanor alcohol-related conviction; Alaska’s highest court ruled the plane was subject to criminal forfeiture. The Supreme Court will consider whether taking his 1969 Cessna violates the Eighth Amendment’s Excessive Fines Clause, with arguments expected in the fall. In April 2012, Jouppi planned to fly a passenger from Fairbanks to Beaver, a remote village where alcohol is banned, and troopers found a six-pack of Budweiser in a shopping bag. The passenger pleaded guilty, while a jury convicted Jouppi and his company; a judge sentenced him to three days in jail. Both sides dispute how the state court applied existing legal standards.