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 states, “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”
“Courts across the country apply a multi-factor test to determine whether a fine or forfeiture is grossly disproportional to the gravity of the offense. Jouppi does not claim that the four-part standard applied by the Alaska Supreme Court is wrong, only that the court misapplied settled law by giving too much weight to some factors and not enough weight to others,” lawyers from the Institute of Justice wrote in their appeal.
“Few excessive fines cases will present the issue so sharply; a decision upholding the forfeiture of an airplane for a six-pack is a self-recommending candidate for review,” the appeal added.
Alaska state attorneys say that Jouppi has not proven how the forfeiture of his plane is “grossly disproportional to the gravity of the offense,” according to NBC News.
(DCNF)