The nation's highest court will consider lawsuit questioning citizenship by birth.
The nation's highest court has decided to review a landmark case that questions a longstanding principle: birthright citizenship for people born on American soil.
On his first day in office this winter, the administration issued an executive order aiming to halt this practice, but the move was struck down by the judiciary after lawsuits were brought forward.
The Supreme Court's ultimate judgment will either uphold citizenship rights for the children of migrants who are in the US undocumented or on short-term permits, or it will nullify those rights completely.
Next, the judges will calendar a session to hear arguments between the administration and claimants, which comprise foreign-born parents and their young children.
A Constitutional Cornerstone
For more than 150 years, the Constitutional amendment has established the principle that every person born in the country is a citizen, with certain exclusions for children born to diplomats and members of invading forces.
"Every individual born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."
The challenged directive sought to withhold citizenship to the offspring of people who are whether in the US in violation of immigration law or are in the country on temporary visas.
The United States belongs to a group of about three dozen nations – largely in the Americas – that provide immediate citizenship to any person born in their territory.
