The nation's highest court has decided to review case disputing birthright citizenship.
The top court has will hear a pivotal case that challenges a historic principle: birthright citizenship for individuals born in the United States.
On his first day in office this winter, President Donald Trump signed an order aiming to halt the policy, but the move was halted by federal courts after legal challenges were brought forward.
The Supreme Court's eventual decision will either uphold citizenship rights for the children of immigrants who are in the US without authorization or on temporary visas, or it will overturn them altogether.
Next, the court will calendar a session to hear oral arguments between the federal government and claimants, which include foreign-born parents and their infants.
The Legal Foundation
For nearly 160 years, the Constitutional amendment has codified the principle that all individuals born in the nation is a American citizen, with exceptions for children born to embassy personnel and personnel of foreign military forces.
"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."
The disputed directive sought to refuse citizenship to the children of people who are either in the US illegally or are in the country on temporary visas.
The United States belongs to a group of about three dozen nations – primarily in the North and South America – that grant automatic citizenship to anyone born on their soil.
