US Supreme Court will review case challenging citizenship by birth.
The top court has agreed to take on a significant case that questions a longstanding guarantee: guaranteed citizenship for those born on American soil.
On his first day in office this winter, the administration signed an order aiming to halt this practice, but the order was subsequently blocked by the judiciary after constitutional questions were filed.
The Supreme Court's final judgment will ultimately affirm citizenship rights for the children of foreign nationals who are in the US without authorization or on non-immigrant visas, or it will end those rights completely.
Next, the judges will calendar a session to hear arguments between the federal government and the suing parties, which include parents who are immigrants and their newborns.
The 14th Amendment
For over a century and a half, the Constitutional amendment has enshrined the principle that every person born in the United States is a American citizen, with exceptions for children born to diplomats 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 disputed executive order sought to deny 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 30 countries – mostly in the North and South America – that provide automatic citizenship to any person born on their soil.
