US Supreme Court will review lawsuit challenging birthright citizenship.
The nation's highest court has agreed to take on a pivotal case that challenges a century-old principle: birthright citizenship for those born within US borders.
On his first day in office this January, the administration issued an executive order aiming to terminate this practice, but the action was struck down by lower courts after legal challenges were brought forward.
The Supreme Court's final ruling will either uphold citizenship rights for the children of immigrants who are in the US illegally or on temporary visas, or it will nullify them entirely.
Next, the judges will calendar a session to hear arguments between the government and plaintiffs, which comprise immigrant parents and their newborns.
The 14th Amendment
For nearly 160 years, the Fourteenth Amendment has established the principle that anyone born in the nation is a citizen, with exceptions for children born to foreign diplomats and members of foreign military forces.
"Anyone born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."
The contested directive sought to deny citizenship to the offspring of people who are either in the US without legal status or are in the country on temporary visas.
The United States is one of about a minority of states – mostly in the Americas – that provide immediate citizenship to any person born in their territory.
