New Jersey’s high court is exploring whether a notice of eviction served at an apartment ends a resident’s reasonable expectation of privacy and thus permits a warrantless search for drugs.

A trial judge denied a motion to suppress in the case of Gene Hinton, who was arrested after the court official serving the notice at a public housing unit saw heroin in plain view and called the police. But the Appellate Division reversed and the state appealed, leading to oral arguments on Tuesday.