US Supreme Court will review case disputing automatic citizenship for those born in the US.
The US Supreme Court has decided to review a pivotal case that puts to the test a century-old guarantee: birthright citizenship for those born within US borders.
On day one in office this January, the President issued an executive order aiming to end birthright citizenship, but the move was subsequently blocked by the judiciary after lawsuits were initiated.
The Supreme Court's final decision will either affirm citizenship rights for the children of foreign nationals who are in the US illegally or on short-term permits, or it will overturn those rights entirely.
Next, the justices will calendar a session to hear oral arguments between the administration and the suing parties, which involve foreign-born parents and their infants.
The 14th Amendment
For over a century and a half, the Fourteenth Amendment has codified the rule that all individuals born in the country is a citizen, with exceptions for children born to diplomats and personnel of foreign military forces.
"Anyone born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."
The contested executive order sought to deny citizenship to the offspring of people who are either in the US in violation of immigration law or are in the country on non-permanent visas.
The United States is among about a minority of states – mostly in the Americas – that award instant citizenship to anyone born in their territory.
