America's top judicial body will review legal challenge disputing automatic citizenship for those born in the US.

The nation's highest court has agreed to take on a pivotal case that puts to the test a longstanding principle: birthright citizenship for people born in the United States.

On his first day in office this January, President Donald Trump issued an executive order aiming to terminate birthright citizenship, but the move was subsequently blocked by the judiciary after lawsuits were initiated.

The Supreme Court's ultimate ruling will either affirm citizenship rights for the children of immigrants who are in the US without authorization or on non-immigrant visas, or it will nullify the provision completely.

Next, the court will schedule a date to hear the case between the government and claimants, which comprise foreign-born parents and their infants.

The Legal Foundation

For nearly 160 years, the Fourteenth Amendment has enshrined the doctrine that every person born in the United States is a citizen, with specific conditions for children born to foreign diplomats 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 executive order sought to deny citizenship to the offspring of people who are whether in the US in violation of immigration law or are in the country on temporary visas.

The United States is among about 30 countries – primarily in the Americas – that provide instant citizenship to all those born on their soil.