America's top judicial body will consider lawsuit challenging automatic citizenship for those born in the US.

The nation's highest court has decided to review a landmark case that puts to the test a century-old principle: guaranteed citizenship for individuals born on American soil.

On day one in office this winter, the President signed an order aiming to terminate the policy, but the move was halted by the judiciary after constitutional questions were brought forward.

The Supreme Court's ultimate decision will ultimately uphold citizenship rights for the offspring of migrants who are in the US without authorization or on temporary visas, or it will end them entirely.

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

The Legal Foundation

For over a century and a half, the Constitutional amendment has enshrined the rule that all individuals born in the country is a citizen, with specific conditions for children born to embassy personnel and personnel of occupying armies.

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

The challenged directive sought to deny citizenship to the children of people who are whether in the US illegally or are in the country on short-term status.

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