America's top judicial body has decided to consider case disputing automatic citizenship for those born in the US.
The US Supreme Court has will hear a pivotal case that puts to the test a century-old guarantee: guaranteed citizenship for those born in the United States.
On his first day in office this winter, President Donald Trump enacted a directive aiming to halt birthright citizenship, but the order was halted by federal courts after lawsuits were initiated.
The Supreme Court's ultimate decision will ultimately support citizenship rights for the offspring of immigrants who are in the US without authorization or on non-immigrant visas, or it will end the provision completely.
Next, the justices will set a time to hear oral arguments between the federal government and plaintiffs, which include parents who are immigrants and their infants.
The 14th Amendment
For over a century and a half, the Fourteenth Amendment has codified the rule that all individuals born in the United States is a citizen, with exceptions for children born to foreign 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 challenged presidential order sought to withhold citizenship to the offspring 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 – primarily in the Americas – that award automatic citizenship to anyone born on their soil.
