America's top judicial body has decided to review lawsuit disputing citizenship by birth.
The US Supreme Court has decided to review a pivotal case that puts to the test a century-old constitutional right: guaranteed citizenship for those born in the United States.
On day one in office this January, the administration signed an order aiming to end the policy, but the order was struck down by lower courts after lawsuits were brought forward.
The Supreme Court's final judgment will either uphold citizenship rights for the infants of immigrants who are in the US illegally or on non-immigrant visas, or it will end them altogether.
Next, the judges will calendar a session to hear the case between the federal government and plaintiffs, which include parents who are immigrants and their newborns.
A Constitutional Cornerstone
For over a century and a half, the 14th Amendment has codified the rule that anyone born in the country is a citizen, with specific conditions for children born to foreign 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 directive sought to deny citizenship to the children of people who are whether in the US in violation of immigration law or are in the country on non-permanent visas.
The United States belongs to a group of about a minority of states – mostly in the Americas – that award immediate citizenship to any person born within their borders.
