US Supreme Court agrees to review lawsuit disputing automatic citizenship for those born in the US.
The nation's highest court has will hear a landmark case that questions a historic principle: guaranteed citizenship for those born on American soil.
On his first day in office this winter, President Donald Trump issued an executive order aiming to halt birthright citizenship, but the order was struck down by the judiciary after lawsuits were filed.
The Supreme Court's ultimate decision will ultimately affirm citizenship rights for the children of foreign nationals 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 administration and the suing parties, which include immigrant parents and their newborns.
A Constitutional Cornerstone
For nearly 160 years, the Fourteenth Amendment has codified the rule that anyone born in the nation is a US citizen, with specific conditions for children born to foreign diplomats and members of foreign military forces.
"Anyone born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."
The contested executive order sought to deny citizenship to the children of people who are either in the US without legal status or are in the country on non-permanent visas.
The United States belongs to a group of about three dozen nations – primarily in the Western Hemisphere – that provide instant citizenship to all those born on their soil.
