The Supreme Court takes up the case of the seizure of the Alaska plane in the case of importation of alcohol

The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear an Alaska man’s challenge to federal efforts to seize his plane with six-packs of beer, setting the stage for a case that could increase law enforcement’s power to seize property.

Kenneth Jouppi, now 82, was piloting his 1969 Cessna plane in 2012 when Alaska state troopers executed a search warrant on his plane and found alcohol on board, including a six-pack they said was clearly visible. At the time, Jouppi was on the runway in Fairbanks preparing to take a customer and his groceries to the remote town of Beaver near the center of the state.

Having beer on board was illegal in itself. However, since Beaver prohibited the possession or sale of alcohol within its borders, Jouppi was convicted of importing alcohol, a misdemeanor. The Alaska Supreme Court held that, under the liquor ban, the state was required to seize Jouppi’s Cessna.

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Jouppi has argued in court that the federal seizure of his plane, valued at $95,000, violates the 8th Amendment’s prohibition on excessive fines. Now, the Supreme Court will weigh whether he is right.

In ruling in Jouppi’s case, the court will have a chance to rein in the power of state and local governments to enforce foreclosures — a longtime goal of civil libertarians.

“For centuries, English common law took into account the characteristics of the defendant and his or her specific violations in determining extortion,” three scholars working for the libertarian Cato Institute wrote about the case. “When courts lose touch with the original understanding of a fundamental right, they risk undermining the constitutional protections that should be afforded to people every day. Such undermining of rights is especially dangerous today as governments generate billions of dollars in revenue from public property confiscation and crime.”

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The US Supreme Court appears on June 25, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“This case gives the Supreme Court an opportunity to ensure that people get the protection that the Eighth Amendment promises them,” they added.

Alaska, however, says that confiscating the planes of those who help bring them to other countries is the only way the state can prevent problems caused by alcoholism in remote areas.

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Alaska wilderness near Fairbanks. (Getty Images)

“Alcohol abuse is a serious problem in rural Alaska, and flights are sometimes the only reasonable means of carrying out the illegal importation of alcohol,” said a law enforcement report from the state. “Jouppi was convicted of knowing and willful misconduct, and the forfeiture removes the business assets that were the means used to commit this crime.”

Some towns in Alaska are not connected to the highway network, making them accessible primarily by small planes, such as Jouppi.

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A federal court in 2018 ruled that the state’s seizure of Jouppi’s plane would be an excessive penalty under the Constitution, although the Alaska Supreme Court ultimately ruled otherwise in 2025, leaving the United States Supreme Court as the only place left for a single pilot.

Oral arguments in Jouppi’s case may take place late this year or early next year, with a decision expected to come down next summer.