The nation's highest court will hear legal challenge challenging citizenship by birth.

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

On day one in office this winter, the President signed an order aiming to end the policy, but the action was halted by the judiciary after lawsuits were filed.

The Supreme Court's final judgment will either affirm citizenship rights for the offspring of foreign nationals who are in the US without authorization or on short-term permits, or it will nullify those rights entirely.

Next, the justices will calendar a session to hear arguments between the federal government and plaintiffs, which comprise foreign-born parents and their newborns.

A Constitutional Cornerstone

For over a century and a half, the Fourteenth Amendment has established the principle that anyone born in the country 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 contested directive sought to withhold citizenship to the offspring of people who are whether in the US illegally or are in the country on non-permanent visas.

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