One six-pack of beer could significantly alter how the Constitution regulates law enforcement

The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear an Alaska man’s challenge to the state’s effort to confiscate his plane over a six-pack of beer, setting the stage for a case that could upend the ability of law enforcement to impose asset forfeiture.

Kenneth Jouppi, now 82, was operating a one-man air taxi service using his personally-owned 1969 Cessna plane in 2012 when Alaska state troopers executed a search warrant on his plane and found alcohol on board, including one six-pack that they said was plainly visible.