America's top judicial body agrees to hear lawsuit challenging citizenship by birth.
The US Supreme Court has agreed to take on a landmark case that questions a century-old principle: automatic citizenship for individuals born in the United States.
On his first day in office this winter, the administration enacted a directive aiming to terminate this practice, but the order was subsequently blocked by the judiciary after legal challenges were filed.
The Supreme Court's final decision will either support 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 completely.
Next, the justices will calendar a session to hear arguments between the administration and the suing parties, which include parents who are immigrants and their young children.
A Constitutional Cornerstone
For nearly 160 years, the Fourteenth Amendment has codified the principle that all individuals 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 contested directive sought to withhold citizenship to the children 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 30 countries – mostly in the Americas – that provide instant citizenship to anyone born on their soil.
