US Supreme Court agrees to consider legal challenge disputing automatic citizenship for those born in the US.

The US Supreme Court has agreed to take on a significant case that puts to the test a longstanding principle: birthright citizenship for people born within US borders.

On the inaugural day in office this winter, the administration signed an order aiming to terminate the policy, but the action was struck down by the judiciary after legal challenges were brought forward.

The Supreme Court's ultimate judgment will either uphold citizenship rights for the offspring of foreign nationals who are in the US without authorization or on short-term permits, or it will end those rights altogether.

Next, the justices will set a time to hear arguments between the federal government and the suing parties, which involve immigrant parents and their newborns.

The 14th Amendment

For more than 150 years, the Constitutional amendment has established the rule that all individuals born in the nation is a citizen, with exceptions for children born to diplomats and personnel of invading forces.

"Anyone born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."

The contested directive sought to deny citizenship to the offspring of people who are either in the US without legal status or are in the country on short-term status.

The United States belongs to a group of about 30 countries – largely in the Americas – that provide automatic citizenship to any person born in their territory.