The Alaska Supreme Court agreed. AdvertisingIn a sign that at least one justice is intrigued by the case, the court asked Alaska to file a brief. “For years, alcohol has had a devastating impact on Alaska, especially rural Alaska,” Soderstrom said last year when he argued before the state Supreme Court. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled for Timbs. Seizing the vehicle, the court wrote, “was highly punitive and thus overly harsh.”The Alaska Supreme Court took a different approach, focusing on the maximum fine for Jouppi’s crime — $10,000 — rather than the one actually imposed on him.