US Supreme Court will consider lawsuit questioning automatic citizenship for those born in the US.

The US Supreme Court has decided to review a landmark case that questions a century-old guarantee: birthright citizenship for people born on American soil.

On day one in office this January, the administration enacted a directive aiming to end the policy, but the order was struck down by federal courts after lawsuits were filed.

The Supreme Court's final ruling will ultimately uphold citizenship rights for the infants of migrants who are in the US illegally or on short-term permits, or it will nullify the provision completely.

Next, the court will schedule a date to hear oral arguments between the federal government and the suing parties, which comprise foreign-born parents and their young children.

The Legal Foundation

For over a century and a half, the 14th Amendment has enshrined the rule that all individuals born in the nation is a US citizen, with certain exclusions for children born to foreign diplomats and personnel of foreign military forces.

"All persons 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 withhold citizenship to the children of people who are either in the US without legal status or are in the country on non-permanent visas.

The United States is among about three dozen nations – primarily in the Western Hemisphere – that award automatic citizenship to all those born within their borders.