America's top judicial body has decided to review lawsuit questioning citizenship by birth.
The US Supreme Court has will hear a pivotal case that challenges a longstanding principle: automatic citizenship for people born on American soil.
On the inaugural day in office this winter, President Donald Trump enacted a directive aiming to end birthright citizenship, but the order was struck down by lower courts after constitutional questions were initiated.
The Supreme Court's eventual judgment will either affirm citizenship rights for the infants of immigrants who are in the US without authorization or on non-immigrant visas, or it will nullify them entirely.
Next, the justices will set a time to hear arguments between the administration and claimants, which comprise immigrant parents and their newborns.
The Legal Foundation
For nearly 160 years, the 14th Amendment has enshrined the doctrine that every person born in the country is a American citizen, with exceptions for children born to diplomats and personnel of invading forces.
"Anyone born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."
The disputed presidential order sought to deny citizenship to the children of people who are either in the US without legal status or are in the country on temporary visas.
The United States is one of about three dozen nations – mostly in the Americas – that grant instant citizenship to any person born within their borders.
