Six-pack flight tests Supreme Court's stance on excessive fines in asset forfeiture

The Supreme Court will hear an appeal from Kenneth Jouppi, an 82-year-old Alaskan bush pilot whose plane was seized after state police found a six-pack of beer on board bound for the dry Beaver, Alaska. Jouppi argues the forfeiture violates the 8th Amendment’s Excessive Fines Clause, a case that could curb how governments use asset-forfeiture nationwide. Oral arguments are expected later this year or early next year, with a decision by next summer, and advocates say it could recalibrate government fines in forfeiture cases.