US Supreme Court has decided to consider case challenging citizenship by birth.
The US Supreme Court has decided to review a pivotal case that challenges a historic guarantee: birthright citizenship for people born on American soil.
On day one in office this January, the administration issued an executive order aiming to halt the policy, but the action was subsequently blocked by the judiciary after lawsuits were filed.
The Supreme Court's final decision will ultimately uphold citizenship rights for the infants of immigrants who are in the US illegally or on short-term permits, or it will nullify them entirely.
Next, the justices will schedule a date to hear arguments between the government and the suing parties, which involve parents who are immigrants and their infants.
The 14th Amendment
For more than 150 years, the 14th Amendment has enshrined the doctrine that every person born in the nation is a US citizen, with exceptions for children born to diplomats and personnel 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 withhold citizenship to the children of people who are whether in the US illegally or are in the country on non-permanent visas.
The United States is among about three dozen nations – primarily in the Americas – that award immediate citizenship to all those born in their territory.
