Would the penalty be more severe?
Like The Chair?
Posted on 07/20/2026 1:55:56 PM PDT by algore
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed Monday to review an Alaska bush pilot’s claims that state authorities have tried to illegally seize his $95,000 airplane after a passenger brought a six-pack of beer on a flight bound for a dry village.
The pilot, Kenneth Jouppi, sued to block his plane’s seizure after he was convicted of an alcohol-related misdemeanor charge. The Alaska Supreme Court ruled in the state’s favor that Jouppi’s plane was subject to criminal forfeiture laws.
On Monday, however, the nation’s highest court agreed to hear Jouppi’s case. He argues that taking his 1969 Cessna would violate the Eighth Amendment’s “Excessive Fines Clause.” Arguments are expected in the fall.
“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.
In April 2012, Jouppi was preparing to fly a passenger from Fairbanks to a remote village, Beaver, where alcohol was banned. The passenger had packed beer with other groceries in her luggage. State Police troopers searched Jouppi’s plane before it departed and spotted a six-pack of Budweiser in a shopping bag.
Jouppi, his company and the passenger were charged with a misdemeanor offense of knowingly transporting an alcoholic beverage into a dry community. The passenger pleaded guilty. A jury convicted Jouppi and the company after a trial. A judge sentenced him to three days in jail.
Jouppi’s attorneys say Alaska’s high court examined his conduct “purely in abstract terms” and didn’t evaluate whether it was part of a broader pattern of criminal activity. And they say it wasn’t.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.com ...
Wow, such a nuanced opinion. (/sarcasm)
Civil asset forfeiture in this country is out of control. It's basically a license to steal.
Personally, I hope that the Supreme Court overturns this one and the gentleman gets his plane back.
Hey Mark - Consider that the Supremes may have taken the 6-pack-costs-you-a-Cessna case to give them a breather from all the political cases that have come before it.... and never stop ... and .... FJB got slapped down by the DC Circuit in bid to block DOJ from releasing Hur transcripts ... they stayed their decision for 2 weeks to give them time to make an emergncy appeal to John Roberts and the Supremes. The political cases have crowded the docket beyond reason. I hope they slap his down too.
This is poetic justice - how FJB disrespected Trump after 2020, removed his security clearance, had the FIB raid his home for documents, publish internal documents that presidents have respected not doing no matter the party of the former POTUS. Yepp ... now the tables have turned ... reminds me of the drug dealer Frank (FJB) on his knees begging Tony Montana (DJT) not to kill him in Scarface.
Yes, I encountered two of them, in their boat, me eating on the river bank (Yukon). We were a hundred miles from the closest human being. I was on the river bank eating a Salmon I had just caught and cooked. They stopped. Several guns could be seen in the bottom of their boat. My Remington 12 gauge was laying on my lap as I sat in a chair and ate. We had tense chat about 2 minutes. They left. Had the shakes for a while after and all night.
I forgive the pilot if it was smuggled and he had no knowledge.. The town is dry for reasons we dont know..
That’s a bit excessive.
They could have just seized the beer and charged the passenger.
They should come down so hard on hardened criminals and repeat offenders.
Aviation Ping!......................
Would the penalty be more severe?
Like The Chair?
“State Police troopers searched Jouppi’s plane before it departed”
What the heck? Why would they do that?
“Don’t Cooperate in the first place.”
You probably did not have State Troopers searching your car.
Don’t forget that it was transported on State Highways. They state should seize the highways from themselves.
“Maybe the pilot/owner was setup to confiscate his aircraft free of charge.”
Why did the State Troopers search his plane on the ground? Seems very odd. Were they tipped off to contraband? Do they search every plane?
State Troopers have no business on an airport unless requested by the authorities that are over airport operations or the FAA. Something tells me there is more to this story and its probably personal.
It was a she and she pled guilty. No comment on the fine or penalty but it seems, at minimum, Alaska is trying to take a second bit of the apple. In what world is a bush pilot responsible for a detailed inspection of all passengers’ baggage?
You know it's against Free Republic rules to read the article, yet you encourage crime anyways.
I'm seizing your plane.
Doesn’t sound like the pilot new that his passenger had the beer. Is a contracted private pilot required to X-ray passenger luggage or rifle thru it like a Customs Agent? Is that even lawful?
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