America's top judicial body will consider lawsuit disputing automatic citizenship for those born in the US.
The nation's highest court has agreed to take on a pivotal case that questions a longstanding constitutional right: birthright citizenship for people born within US borders.
On his first day in office this January, the President signed an order aiming to halt this practice, but the order was subsequently blocked by lower courts after legal challenges were filed.
The Supreme Court's eventual ruling will ultimately uphold citizenship rights for the infants of immigrants who are in the US illegally or on short-term permits, or it will nullify the provision entirely.
Next, the justices will schedule a date to hear the case between the federal government and plaintiffs, which involve immigrant parents and their young children.
A Constitutional Cornerstone
For more than 150 years, the Constitutional amendment has codified the doctrine that anyone born in the United States is a US citizen, with exceptions for children born to foreign diplomats and members 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 offspring of people who are either in the US in violation of immigration law or are in the country on short-term status.
The United States is among about three dozen nations – primarily in the Americas – that grant instant citizenship to anyone born in their territory.
