US Supreme Court will consider lawsuit disputing birthright citizenship.
The US Supreme Court has decided to review a significant case that puts to the test a century-old guarantee: birthright citizenship for individuals born in the United States.
On day one in office this winter, President Donald Trump enacted a directive aiming to terminate birthright citizenship, but the order was struck down by lower courts after lawsuits were initiated.
The Supreme Court's final judgment will ultimately uphold citizenship rights for the infants of migrants who are in the US without authorization or on temporary visas, or it will end those rights completely.
Next, the judges will calendar a session to hear arguments between the administration and claimants, which involve foreign-born parents and their young children.
The 14th Amendment
For nearly 160 years, the 14th Amendment has enshrined the doctrine that anyone born in the United States is a citizen, with certain exclusions for children born to foreign diplomats and members 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 contested executive order sought to refuse 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 one of about three dozen nations – largely in the Western Hemisphere – that grant automatic citizenship to anyone born in their territory.
