America's top judicial body will hear legal challenge disputing citizenship by birth.

The US Supreme Court has decided to review a significant case that puts to the test a longstanding constitutional right: guaranteed citizenship for individuals born within US borders.

On his first day in office this January, the administration enacted a directive aiming to halt this practice, but the order was subsequently blocked by the judiciary after legal challenges were filed.

The Supreme Court's eventual decision 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 court will calendar a session to hear arguments between the government and the suing parties, which include immigrant parents and their newborns.

The Legal Foundation

For nearly 160 years, the 14th Amendment has codified the rule that anyone born in the country is a citizen, with exceptions for children born to foreign 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 challenged directive sought to withhold citizenship to the offspring of people who are whether in the US without legal status or are in the country on non-permanent visas.

The United States belongs to a group of about a minority of states – largely in the Western Hemisphere – that grant immediate citizenship to any person born in their territory.