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

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge by Alaska bush pilot Kenneth Jouppi, who claims state authorities tried to illegally seize his $95,000 airplane after a passenger brought beer on a flight to a dry village. The case stems from an April 2012 trip from Fairbanks to Beaver, where alcohol is banned; troopers searched Jouppi’s plane before departure and found a six-pack of Budweiser in a shopping bag. Jouppi, his company, and the passenger were charged with a misdemeanor for knowingly transporting an alcoholic beverage into a dry community; the passenger pleaded guilty, and a jury convicted Jouppi and the company. A judge sentenced Jouppi to three days in jail, and Alaska’s Supreme Court upheld forfeiture under criminal forfeiture laws. Jouppi argues the seizure violates the Eighth Amendment’s Excessive Fines Clause, with fall arguments expected.