The nation's highest court has decided to review case disputing birthright citizenship.
The top court has will hear a landmark case that puts to the test a longstanding principle: birthright citizenship for individuals born in the United States.
On day one in office this winter, President Donald Trump enacted a directive aiming to terminate this practice, but the move was struck down by the judiciary after legal challenges were filed.
The Supreme Court's ultimate decision will ultimately uphold citizenship rights for the infants of immigrants who are in the US illegally or on short-term permits, or it will overturn the provision entirely.
Next, the judges will set a time to hear the case between the federal government and claimants, which involve immigrant parents and their newborns.
The Legal Foundation
For nearly 160 years, the 14th Amendment has codified the doctrine that every person born in the United States is a American citizen, with certain exclusions for children born to foreign diplomats and members of occupying armies.
"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 offspring of people who are either in the US in violation of immigration law or are in the country on non-permanent visas.
The United States is one of about three dozen nations – primarily in the Americas – that grant immediate citizenship to any person born within their borders.
