US Supreme Court will review lawsuit challenging birthright citizenship.

The nation's highest court has will hear a pivotal case that questions a historic principle: birthright citizenship for individuals born in the United States.

On the inaugural day in office this winter, President Donald Trump signed an order aiming to terminate birthright citizenship, but the action was subsequently blocked by lower courts after constitutional questions were filed.

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

Next, the judges will calendar a session to hear arguments between the federal government and the suing parties, which comprise foreign-born parents and their young children.

The 14th Amendment

For nearly 160 years, the 14th Amendment has codified the doctrine that anyone born in the nation is a citizen, with certain exclusions for children born to embassy personnel and members of invading forces.

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

The disputed directive sought to refuse citizenship to the children of people who are whether in the US without legal status or are in the country on short-term status.

The United States is one of about a minority of states – mostly in the Western Hemisphere – that provide automatic citizenship to anyone born within their borders.