US Supreme Court will consider case questioning citizenship by birth.
The top court has will hear a significant case that challenges a longstanding principle: birthright citizenship for people born in the United States.
On his first day in office this January, President Donald Trump signed an order aiming to terminate this practice, but the move was halted by lower courts after constitutional questions were initiated.
The Supreme Court's final judgment will either support citizenship rights for the infants of immigrants who are in the US undocumented or on short-term permits, or it will overturn those rights entirely.
Next, the court will schedule a date to hear oral arguments between the administration and the suing parties, which involve parents who are immigrants and their infants.
The Legal Foundation
For nearly 160 years, the 14th Amendment has codified the doctrine that every person born in the nation is a US citizen, with specific conditions for children born to foreign diplomats and members of invading 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 deny citizenship to the offspring of people who are whether in the US in violation of immigration law or are in the country on temporary visas.
The United States is one of about 30 countries – largely in the North and South America – that award instant citizenship to all those born within their borders.
