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

The US Supreme Court has will hear a pivotal case that questions a longstanding principle: automatic citizenship for those born on American soil.

On his first day in office this January, the administration issued an executive order aiming to halt birthright citizenship, but the order was halted by lower courts after constitutional questions were brought forward.

The Supreme Court's final ruling will ultimately support citizenship rights for the offspring of foreign nationals who are in the US without authorization or on temporary visas, or it will overturn those rights entirely.

Next, the justices will calendar a session to hear arguments between the government and plaintiffs, which include parents who are immigrants and their newborns.

The 14th Amendment

For more than 150 years, the 14th Amendment has codified the doctrine that anyone born in the country is a American citizen, with specific conditions for children born to embassy personnel and personnel of invading forces.

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

The disputed 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 is among about three dozen nations – primarily in the Western Hemisphere – that provide instant citizenship to anyone born within their borders.