Overview

• On September 2, the Institute for Justice filed a certiorari petition on behalf of 82-year-old Ken Jouppi, seeking review of Alaska’s seizure of his $95,000 Cessna.
• The Alaska Supreme Court in April 2025 upheld forfeiture, reasoning that even a single six-pack brought toward a dry village can warrant taking an aircraft.
• Troopers intercepted Jouppi’s 2012 flight before takeoff, leading to a misdemeanor conviction, a $1,500 fine, and three days in jail for transporting alcohol.
• Alaska law permits forfeiture of aircraft used to bring alcohol into dry communities regardless of quantity, which the petition argues violates the Excessive Fines Clause.
• The filing highlights a split over proportionality tests after Timbs v. Indiana, with some courts weighing a defendant’s specific conduct while others rely on statutory worst-case harms, and the Supreme Court has not decided whether to hear the case.