Alaska’s Decision to Seize a Bootlegger’s Plane Could End up in Front of the U.S. Supreme Court

Supreme Court asked to hear case of Alaska taking plane from man for transporting beer

An Alaska pilot is asking the Supreme Court to hear his dispute against the state for taking his airplane -- worth nearly $100,000 -- over a misdemeanor conviction of transporting beer in a passenger's luggage.

Alaska’s decision to seize a bootlegger’s plane could end up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court

Ken Jouppi has been fighting a 13-year battle with the state of Alaska, alleging that the seizure of his plane was excessive.

“This Bud’s for You”: Alaskan Pilot Appeals Forfeiture of Plane Over Six-Pack of Beer

So an Alaskan bush pilot walks into the Supreme Court with a six-pack of beer. Sounds like the start of a good joke? Well, for Ken Jouppi, it is no laughing matter. Jouppi and his counsel at the Institute for Justice have just filed a petition for a writ of certiorari to appeal a decision from the Alaska Supreme Court that held the state could seize his $95,000 Cessna U206D airplane over a six-pack of beer found in a passenger’s bag of groceries…

Alaska May Seize Pilot's Airplane Over a Six-Pack

Alaska Supreme Court allows seizure of pilot's plane over a six-pack of beer, raising legal concerns.

An Alaska man's $95,000 plane was seized over a 6-pack of beer. Now he's taking his case to the Supreme Court.

Alaska has been trying to seize Ken Jouppi's Cessna for 13 years because a passenger tried to sneak beer into a dry town.

Alaska’s decision to seize a bootlegger’s plane could end up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court - Chilkat Valley News

The U.S. Supreme Court, on Oct. 9, 2024. (Courtesy/Jane Norman, States Newsroom) In 2012, Alaska State Troopers arrested Fairbanks pilot Ken Jouppi and seized his aircraft after charging him with bootlegging for shipping beer into the dry community of Beaver. Now, after 13 years of legal disputes, the state’s decision to seize Jouppi’s airplane could be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Institute for Justice, a libertarian-leaning nonprofit …