The nation's highest court agrees to review case questioning citizenship by birth.

The US Supreme Court has decided to review a landmark case that puts to the test a longstanding principle: guaranteed citizenship for individuals born on American soil.

On his first day in office this January, the President signed an order aiming to halt this practice, but the move was halted by federal courts after lawsuits were initiated.

The Supreme Court's final judgment will either affirm citizenship rights for the children of migrants who are in the US undocumented or on non-immigrant visas, or it will nullify the provision completely.

Next, the court will calendar a session to hear oral arguments between the government and claimants, which comprise foreign-born parents and their young children.

The Legal Foundation

For more than 150 years, the 14th Amendment has established the doctrine that every person born in the country is a citizen, with specific conditions 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 challenged directive sought to withhold citizenship to the children of people who are either in the US illegally or are in the country on short-term status.

The United States belongs to a group of about 30 countries – primarily in the North and South America – that grant instant citizenship to any person born within their borders.