US Supreme Court agrees to review lawsuit disputing automatic citizenship for those born in the US.

The top court has will hear a pivotal case that puts to the test a historic constitutional right: automatic citizenship for people born on American soil.

On his first day in office this January, President Donald Trump signed an order aiming to halt birthright citizenship, but the action was subsequently blocked by federal courts after lawsuits were filed.

The Supreme Court's ultimate ruling will ultimately affirm citizenship rights for the offspring of foreign nationals who are in the US undocumented or on temporary visas, or it will end them altogether.

Next, the justices will schedule a date to hear the case between the federal government and claimants, which comprise parents who are immigrants and their infants.

The Legal Foundation

For more than 150 years, the 14th Amendment has enshrined the rule that every person born in the nation is a citizen, with specific conditions 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 disputed presidential order sought to withhold citizenship to the children of people who are either in the US illegally or are in the country on temporary visas.

The United States is among about 30 countries – largely in the North and South America – that grant automatic citizenship to all those born in their territory.