US Supreme Court will hear lawsuit challenging citizenship by birth.

The top court has will hear a landmark case that challenges a century-old principle: guaranteed citizenship for individuals born on American soil.

On his first day in office this January, the President enacted a directive aiming to halt birthright citizenship, but the move was subsequently blocked by federal courts after legal challenges were brought forward.

The Supreme Court's final ruling will either support citizenship rights for the infants of immigrants who are in the US illegally or on short-term permits, or it will overturn those rights completely.

Next, the judges will schedule a date to hear arguments between the government and claimants, which include parents who are immigrants and their young children.

A Constitutional Cornerstone

For over a century and a half, the Constitutional amendment has codified the principle that every person born in the United States is a citizen, with specific conditions for children born to diplomats and personnel of invading forces.

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

The challenged executive order sought to refuse 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 is among about three dozen nations – primarily in the Western Hemisphere – that provide automatic citizenship to any person born within their borders.