America's top judicial body will hear case challenging birthright citizenship.
The top court has agreed to take on a significant case that puts to the test a century-old constitutional right: guaranteed citizenship for individuals born within US borders.
On day one in office this winter, the administration issued an executive order aiming to terminate the policy, but the order was halted by the judiciary after constitutional questions were brought forward.
The Supreme Court's eventual judgment will either support citizenship rights for the children of migrants who are in the US undocumented or on non-immigrant visas, or it will nullify those rights entirely.
Next, the judges will schedule a date to hear arguments between the administration and plaintiffs, which include foreign-born parents and their young children.
The 14th Amendment
For nearly 160 years, the Fourteenth Amendment has enshrined the doctrine that all individuals born in the nation is a citizen, with specific conditions for children born to 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 executive order sought to withhold citizenship to the children of people who are whether in the US in violation of immigration law or are in the country on non-permanent visas.
The United States is among about three dozen nations – primarily in the Western Hemisphere – that grant instant citizenship to all those born in their territory.
