$95K plane seizure over a six-pack of beer heads to Supreme Court
An police officer walks past the U.S. Supreme Court building on July 17, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
An Alaska bush pilot’s fight to keep the state from seizing a plane over a six-pack of beer that belonged to his passenger is headed to the highest court in the land.
Big picture view:
The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear the case brought by the pilot, Kenneth Jouppi, who is suing to prevent Alaska authorities from taking his 1969 Cessna. Jouppi is arguing that the seizure would violate the Eighth Amendment guarantee against excessive fines.
What they're saying:
"I’m in my 80s now, and I’ve been fighting this for over a decade because I see it as my duty to ensure that the Bill of Rights actually means something in protecting against government overreach," Jouppi said in a statement released by his attorneys at the Institute for Justice.
The backstory:
The legal battle for Jouppi began in 2012 with a flight from Fairbanks to the remote village of Beaver, which is a dry community. His passenger had groceries in her luggage that included a six-pack of Budweiser. Jouppi and his passenger had not even left before state troopers searching his plane spotted the beer in a shopping bag.
That led to charges of knowingly transporting an alcoholic beverage into a dry community against both of them and Jouppi’s company. The passenger pleaded guilty, while Jouppi and his company took the case to trial. After being convicted by a jury, Jouppi was sentenced to three days in jail.
RELATED: NORAD F-16s intercept multiple aircraft violating temporary flight restrictions over New Jersey
Seizing the Cessna
Jouppi has already lost his challenge on the state level. The Alaska Supreme Court backed the state’s argument that the plane was subject to criminal forfeiture laws. Jouppi’s attorneys claim the high court ruling only looked at his conduct "purely in abstract terms" and the state justices ignored whether what happened was part of a larger pattern of criminal activity.
The other side:
Attorneys from the Alaska Attorney General’s office contend Jouppi has not demonstrated why seizing the $95,000 plane is "grossly disproportional to the gravity of his offense," especially given the concerns about alcohol in small Alaskan towns.
What they're saying:
"Alcohol abuse is a serious problem in rural Alaska, and airplanes are sometimes the only realistic means to commit the crime of alcohol importation," they wrote.
The state’s attorneys pointed to the four-part standard used by the Alaska Supreme Court in its verdict and said that Jouppi is not objecting to that test, only that the state gave too much weight to some factors and not enough to others.
What's next:
Arguments are expected in the fall.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from The Associated Press and email correspondence. This story was reported from Orlando.