America's top judicial body has decided to hear lawsuit disputing birthright citizenship.
The top court has agreed to take on a landmark case that questions a longstanding constitutional right: birthright citizenship for those born within US borders.
On day one in office this winter, President Donald Trump enacted a directive aiming to halt this practice, but the order was subsequently blocked by the judiciary after legal challenges were filed.
The Supreme Court's eventual ruling will ultimately uphold citizenship rights for the offspring of migrants who are in the US undocumented or on non-immigrant visas, or it will end them altogether.
Next, the judges will calendar a session to hear the case between the administration and claimants, which comprise immigrant parents and their newborns.
The Legal Foundation
For more than 150 years, the Constitutional amendment has codified the rule that anyone born in the United States is a US citizen, with specific conditions for children born to embassy personnel and members of occupying armies.
"Every individual born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."
The disputed executive order sought to refuse citizenship to the offspring of people who are whether in the US illegally or are in the country on non-permanent visas.
The United States belongs to a group of about 30 countries – primarily in the Western Hemisphere – that award automatic citizenship to any person born on their soil.
