In Blackwell v. Patton & Erwin's Lessee, the Supreme Court of the United States held that a tenant in possession of land could not be evicted by an assignee of the landlord without due process. The case arose when William Patton and John Erwin obtained a judgment against James Blackwell for unpaid rent on certain lands in Kentucky. After obtaining their judgment, they assigned it to Thomas Smith who then attempted to evict Blackwell from his property without providing him with any notice or opportunity to be heard before being removed from his home. The Supreme Court ruled that such eviction was unconstitutional as it violated due process protections under both state and federal law; tenants must receive reasonable notice prior to eviction proceedings so that they can prepare their defense if necessary. This decision established important legal precedent regarding tenant rights and has been cited numerous times since its initial ruling over two centuries ago.

In the case of Blackwell v. Patton & Erwin's Lessee, Chief Justice John Marshall delivered a dissenting opinion in which he argued that the Court should not have granted relief to the plaintiff. He believed that it was improper for a court to grant relief when there had been no proof of any wrong done by either party and where both parties were equally entitled to their respective claims. He further argued that if one party was found guilty of wrongdoing, then they should be held accountable and punished accordingly; however, since neither party had committed any wrongs in this case, granting relief would be inappropriate. Furthermore, he stated that allowing such an action could lead to future cases being decided on mere speculation rather than facts or evidence presented before the court. In conclusion, Chief Justice Marshall felt strongly against granting relief without sufficient proof of wrongdoing from either side and warned against setting a precedent for similar cases going forward.