The nation's highest court will review lawsuit disputing birthright citizenship.
The nation's highest court has will hear a significant case that puts to the test a century-old principle: automatic citizenship for individuals born in the United States.
On day one in office this winter, the President signed an order aiming to halt the policy, but the move was halted by federal courts after lawsuits were initiated.
The Supreme Court's final ruling will either affirm citizenship rights for the infants of foreign nationals who are in the US illegally or on short-term permits, or it will overturn those rights altogether.
Next, the judges will calendar a session to hear arguments between the government and claimants, which include foreign-born parents and their infants.
A Constitutional Cornerstone
For over a century and a half, the Fourteenth Amendment has enshrined the principle that all individuals born in the nation is a citizen, with exceptions for children born to diplomats and personnel of invading forces.
"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."
The contested directive sought to withhold 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 among about three dozen nations – mostly in the North and South America – that provide instant citizenship to anyone born in their territory.
