美国最高法院同意审理一起涉及财产没收的宪法权利案件。[1]阿拉斯加飞行员Kenneth Jouppi指控州政府因乘客携带六罐啤酒进入禁酒村庄而非法没收其价值9.5万美元的飞机。[1]
Jouppi认为这一没收行为违反了宪法第八修正案中的"过度罚款条款"。[1]阿拉斯加州政府则辩称，酒精滥用是该州的严重问题，且飞机是进口酒精的现实手段，并坚持州最高法院关于刑事没收的法律裁决。[1]
该案将在美国最高法院层面展开关于财产没收是否与宪法保护相符的重要讨论。[1]
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review a case brought by Alaska pilot Kenneth Jouppi, who challenges the state's seizure of his aircraft worth $95,000 [1]. The seizure occurred after a passenger brought six cans of beer into a village where alcohol is prohibited [1].
Jouppi contends that the confiscation violates the Excessive Fines Clause of the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution [1]. The state of Alaska, however, maintains that its Supreme Court's decision on criminal forfeiture was legally sound, arguing that alcohol abuse represents a serious problem in the region and that the aircraft served as a practical means of transporting alcohol into the community [1].
The Supreme Court's decision to hear the case, announced on Monday [1], sets the stage for the nation's highest court to weigh in on the boundaries of civil asset forfeiture and constitutional protections against excessive penalties.