America's top judicial body will hear lawsuit questioning birthright citizenship.
The US Supreme Court has agreed to take on a landmark case that challenges a longstanding guarantee: automatic citizenship for individuals born in the United States.
On his first day in office this January, the President issued an executive order aiming to halt birthright citizenship, but the move was halted by lower courts after lawsuits were brought forward.
The Supreme Court's ultimate judgment will ultimately support citizenship rights for the children of immigrants who are in the US undocumented or on short-term permits, or it will nullify them entirely.
Next, the court will calendar a session to hear the case between the government and claimants, which include parents who are immigrants and their newborns.
A Constitutional Cornerstone
For over a century and a half, the 14th Amendment has established the rule that anyone born in the nation is a citizen, with exceptions for children born to embassy personnel and personnel of occupying armies.
"Every individual born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."
The challenged presidential order sought to withhold citizenship to the children of people who are either in the US in violation of immigration law or are in the country on short-term status.
The United States belongs to a group of about three dozen nations – mostly in the North and South America – that award instant citizenship to anyone born in their territory.
