An Alaska pilot was going to lose his plane over a 6-pack of beer. Now the Supreme Court will hear his case

Kenneth Jouppi says that ever since he was convicted of a alcohol-related misdemeanor in 2012, the state has attempted to seize his plane, worth about $95,000

NEED TO KNOW

• The U.S. Supreme Court will review Kenneth Jouppi’s fight against Alaska’s attempt to seize his $95,000 plane

• Jouppi argues the plane’s forfeiture over an alcohol-related misdemeanor is an unconstitutionally excessive fine

• Alaska claims Jouppi knowingly aided alcohol importation to dry villages where abuse has serious societal impacts

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to review an Alaska pilot’s claims the state is illegally trying to seize his $95,000 airplane after he transported a passenger carrying a six-pack of beer.

On April 3, 2012, longtime bush pilot Kenneth Jouppi was preparing to transport a passenger and her groceries from Fairbanks to the remote community of Beaver, a dry village since 2004. However, before Jouppi could depart, state troopers searched the plane and spotted a six-pack of beer in plain view.

The pilot insisted he knew nothing about the alcohol, yet he was charged, convicted and sentenced to a $1,500 fine and three days in jail, according to the Institute for Justice (IJ), which currently represents Jouppi. 

Despite the misdemeanor offense, IJ says the state has been trying to forfeit Jouppi’s plane for the past 14 years. The aircraft, a Cessna U206D, is reportedly worth about $95,000. Jouppi views the punishment as an “unconstitutionally excessive fine.”

Jouppi subsequently sued to block the plane’s seizure. However, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled in the state’s favor in April 2025, rejecting the argument that forfeiting the plane violated the Excessive Fines Clause.

“Alcohol abuse in rural Alaska leads to increased crime; disorders, such as alcoholism; conditions, such as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder; and death, imposing substantial costs on public health and the administration of justice,” the court found, according to the Alaska Beacon. “Within this context, it is clear that the illegal importation of even a six-pack of beer causes grave societal harm.”

Yet, on Monday, the country’s highest court decided it would review the case.

“I’m thrilled that the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear this case, because this case isn’t just about me or my airplane anymore,” Jouppi said in a statement. “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.” 

IJ attorney Mike Greenberg says the Excessive Fine Clause “enshrines a timeless principle: The fine must fit the crime.” The counsel pointed to a previous case litigated by IJ in which the Indiana Supreme Court found the state’s attempt to forfeit a man’s $40,000 Land Rover over a low-level drug offense was unconstitutionally excessive. 

In a brief filed by the state in November 2025, Alaska’s attorneys argued this case differed in that “Jouppi was a career pilot and a business owner who intentionally aided his customers to import alcohol to dry communities.”

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“Alcohol abuse is a serious problem in rural Alaska, and airplanes are sometimes the only realistic means to commit the crime of alcohol importation,” the brief says. “Jouppi flew his passenger to Beaver that same day on his second plane, and the trial court allowed Jouppi to keep possession of the first plane.”

Read the original article on People