America's top judicial body agrees to hear case disputing birthright citizenship.

The US Supreme Court has agreed to take on a significant case that questions a historic constitutional right: guaranteed citizenship for those born within US borders.

On his first day in office this January, the President issued an executive order aiming to halt the policy, but the move was subsequently blocked by the judiciary after lawsuits were initiated.

The Supreme Court's eventual judgment will ultimately uphold citizenship rights for the infants of foreign nationals who are in the US undocumented or on short-term permits, or it will nullify the provision entirely.

Next, the court will set a time to hear arguments between the federal government and plaintiffs, which comprise foreign-born parents and their infants.

The Legal Foundation

For over a century and a half, the Constitutional amendment has enshrined the rule that every person born in the country is a citizen, with specific conditions for children born to diplomats and personnel of foreign military forces.

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

The contested executive order sought to deny citizenship to the children of people who are either in the US illegally or are in the country on short-term status.

The United States belongs to a group of about a minority of states – primarily in the Western Hemisphere – that provide instant citizenship to all those born within their borders.