The nation's highest court has decided to review legal challenge questioning automatic citizenship for those born in the US.
The US Supreme Court has decided to review a significant case that questions a historic principle: birthright citizenship for people born on American soil.
On his first day in office this winter, the President enacted a directive aiming to end the policy, but the move was subsequently blocked by federal courts after legal challenges were brought forward.
The Supreme Court's final decision will ultimately uphold citizenship rights for the infants of foreign nationals who are in the US undocumented or on short-term permits, or it will nullify them completely.
Next, the justices will schedule a date to hear oral arguments between the government and plaintiffs, which include foreign-born parents and their newborns.
A Constitutional Cornerstone
For more than 150 years, the Constitutional amendment has enshrined the principle that all individuals born in the United States is a American citizen, with exceptions for children born to foreign diplomats and personnel of occupying armies.
"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."
The disputed directive sought to refuse citizenship to the offspring of people who are either in the US illegally or are in the country on short-term status.
The United States is among about three dozen nations – primarily in the North and South America – that provide instant citizenship to all those born in their territory.
