America's top judicial body has decided to review lawsuit questioning automatic citizenship for those born in the US.
The top court has will hear a pivotal case that questions a longstanding constitutional right: birthright citizenship for individuals born on American soil.
On the inaugural day in office this winter, the administration enacted a directive aiming to terminate birthright citizenship, but the move was subsequently blocked by federal courts after constitutional questions were initiated.
The Supreme Court's final ruling will ultimately support citizenship rights for the children of migrants who are in the US without authorization or on short-term permits, or it will overturn those rights completely.
Next, the court will set a time to hear oral arguments between the government and the suing parties, which include immigrant parents and their young children.
The Legal Foundation
For more than 150 years, the 14th Amendment has enshrined the doctrine that anyone born in the United States is a US citizen, with certain exclusions for children born to 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 contested executive order sought to deny citizenship to the offspring of people who are whether in the US illegally or are in the country on temporary visas.
The United States is among about a minority of states – mostly in the Western Hemisphere – that provide instant citizenship to anyone born on their soil.
