America's top judicial body has decided to review lawsuit questioning birthright citizenship.

The nation's highest court has agreed to take on a significant case that challenges a longstanding guarantee: guaranteed citizenship for those born in the United States.

On his first day in office this winter, the President issued an executive order aiming to halt this practice, but the order was struck down by federal courts after constitutional questions were brought forward.

The Supreme Court's final judgment will either affirm citizenship rights for the infants of immigrants who are in the US without authorization or on short-term permits, or it will overturn the provision completely.

Next, the judges will set a time to hear oral arguments between the administration and plaintiffs, which include parents who are immigrants and their infants.

The 14th Amendment

For nearly 160 years, the Fourteenth Amendment has established the principle that every person born in the nation is a citizen, with specific conditions for children born to foreign diplomats and personnel of occupying armies.

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

The challenged directive sought to refuse citizenship to the offspring 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 – largely in the Western Hemisphere – that provide automatic citizenship to anyone born within their borders.