US Supreme Court agrees to hear lawsuit challenging citizenship by birth.

The US Supreme Court has decided to review a significant case that puts to the test a century-old principle: automatic citizenship for those born within US borders.

On his first day in office this winter, the administration issued an executive order aiming to halt birthright citizenship, but the order was struck down by the judiciary after lawsuits were initiated.

The Supreme Court's ultimate decision will either support citizenship rights for the infants of foreign nationals who are in the US undocumented or on non-immigrant visas, or it will nullify them entirely.

Next, the justices will set a time to hear oral arguments between the administration and the suing parties, which involve parents who are immigrants and their young children.

A Constitutional Cornerstone

For over a century and a half, the Constitutional amendment has enshrined the rule that anyone born in the United States is a American citizen, with certain exclusions for children born to embassy personnel and personnel of occupying armies.

"Anyone born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."

The challenged directive sought to deny citizenship to the children of people who are whether 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 Americas – that provide immediate citizenship to any person born on their soil.