US Supreme Court will hear case disputing birthright citizenship.

The nation's highest court has will hear a significant case that puts to the test a historic principle: guaranteed citizenship for individuals born in the United States.

On day one in office this winter, the President issued an executive order aiming to end the policy, but the action was struck down by lower courts after lawsuits were filed.

The Supreme Court's eventual judgment will ultimately support citizenship rights for the infants of foreign nationals who are in the US illegally or on non-immigrant visas, or it will overturn those rights altogether.

Next, the justices will calendar a session to hear the case between the administration and the suing parties, which comprise foreign-born parents and their infants.

The 14th Amendment

For more than 150 years, the 14th Amendment has enshrined the principle that anyone born in the country is a citizen, with exceptions for children born to foreign diplomats and personnel of foreign military forces.

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

The contested directive sought to withhold citizenship to the offspring of people who are whether in the US in violation of immigration law or are in the country on short-term status.

The United States belongs to a group of about three dozen nations – primarily in the Americas – that grant instant citizenship to all those born on their soil.