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Institute for Justice updates

Ken Jouppi ([link removed] )

Civil Forfeiture

Alaska Pilot Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Stop State from Taking His $95,000 Airplane for Passenger’s Beer

April 3, 2012, began like any other day for Ken Jouppi, a longtime Alaskan pilot. He was ferrying a passenger and her groceries from Fairbanks to the village of Beaver. But hidden in the passenger’s luggage was beer for her husband, who lived in a dry community. Ken was convicted of a misdemeanor, but the state also took his $95,000 plane. Ken has partnered with IJ to file ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his case and clarify the standard for what makes a financial penalty “excessive” under the Eighth Amendment.

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Brian Moore ([link removed] )

Civil Forfeiture

Georgia Veteran Wins Fight to Get Back Every Dollar Wrongly Seized by DEA at the Atlanta Airport

Army veteran Brian Moore was trying to fly to Los Angeles to record a video to support his music career, but just before he boarded his flight, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents seized $8,500 in cash he was going to use to pay for it. Four years after that seizure at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the 11th Circuit ruled that he should get every dollar back—including the fees he paid for attorneys before IJ stepped in.

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Lauren Richwine ([link removed] )

Occupational Speech

Victory: Appeals Court Sides with Fort Wayne Death Doula in First Amendment Lawsuit

Last week, the 7th Circuit ruled in favor of Fort Wayne death doula Lauren Richwine in her First Amendment lawsuit challenging the state of Indiana’s unconstitutional restrictions on discussing end-of-life care. Lauren and IJ filed the lawsuit in August 2023, after Lauren was told she must shut her death consulting business unless she spends enormous time and money obtaining unrelated funeral home and funeral director licenses.

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Watch: Cop’s Lies Sent Innocent Girls to Prison…Still Employed ([link removed] )

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IJ Podcasts

Short-Circuit-Podcast-narrow ([link removed] )

Short Circuit: 7th Circuit Judicial Conference

Short Circuit traveled to Chicago for a live recording on the eve of the Seventh Circuit’s biannual Judicial Conference. In front of a crowd of Seventh Circuit enthusiasts your host spoke with some experts about some of the court’s recent opinions and how the circuit works.

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Short Circuit: Kangaroo Courts

The Constitution separates “the judicial power” from “executive power.” Well, that’s the theory at least. A mixing of these powers led to some massive fines against a family farm.

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