Legalized robbery: Alaska seized a $95,000 plane over a six-pack of beer

A $95,000 airplane. A six-pack of Budweiser. Thirteen years of litigation. The Supreme Court agreed to hear Jouppi v. Alaska, and if you want to understand why the Excessive Fines Clause exists, you won’t find a cleaner teaching case. Ken Jouppi has flown bush routes across Alaska for decades, the kind of work that keeps…