The nation's highest court will review legal challenge questioning 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 historic constitutional right: guaranteed citizenship for people born on American soil.

On the inaugural day in office this winter, President Donald Trump enacted a directive aiming to halt birthright citizenship, but the move was halted by lower courts after legal challenges were initiated.

The Supreme Court's eventual judgment will either support citizenship rights for the children of immigrants who are in the US without authorization or on short-term permits, or it will end those rights entirely.

Next, the justices will set a time to hear oral arguments between the administration and claimants, which include parents who are immigrants and their newborns.

The Legal Foundation

For nearly 160 years, the 14th Amendment has codified the rule that anyone born in the nation is a US citizen, with specific conditions for children born to foreign diplomats and members of invading forces.

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

The challenged executive order sought to refuse citizenship to the children of people who are either in the US in violation of immigration law or are in the country on short-term status.

The United States is among about a minority of states – mostly in the Americas – that grant immediate citizenship to any person born within their borders.