A Remote Alaska Village, a Small Aircraft, and a Few Cases of Beer

Fourteen years ago, the state of Alaska tried to seize a man’s $95,000 small airplane because one of his passengers tried to bring beer into a dry village. Now the Supreme Court will use his case to further clarify the scope of the excessive fines Clause. The justices announced on Monday that they would hear Jouppi v. Alaska next term, giving them a rare opportunity to expand upon of one of the Eighth Amendment’s most overlooked provisions. The case’s basic facts illustrate how states can…