In Payton v. New York, the U.S Supreme Court ruled that the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, which protects individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures, prohibits police officers from entering a suspect's home without a warrant in order to make a routine felony arrest. The case was brought by Theodore Payton who had been convicted of murder after police entered his apartment without a warrant and found evidence implicating him in the crime. Similarly, Obie Riddick had also been arrested at his home without an arrest warrant for possession of drugs. Both cases were consolidated as they raised similar constitutional questions about whether such arrests violated their Fourth Amendment rights. In its decision delivered by Justice Stevens on April 15th 1980, the court held that both arrests were unconstitutional because they lacked judicial oversight through warrants based on probable cause.

In the dissenting opinion for Payton v. New York, Justice White argued that the majority's decision was not supported by historical evidence or precedent and would unnecessarily hinder law enforcement efforts. He contended that there is no constitutional requirement for police to obtain a warrant before entering a suspect's home to make an arrest when they have probable cause. The Fourth Amendment does not explicitly require warrants in all situations, but rather prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures. In his view, it is reasonable for officers to enter a home without a warrant if they believe the suspect is inside and may escape or destroy evidence while they are obtaining one. Furthermore, he pointed out that many states allow such entries under their laws, indicating this practice has been widely accepted as reasonable throughout American history.