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

The US Supreme Court has decided to review a pivotal case that challenges a century-old guarantee: automatic citizenship for people born in the United States.

On his first day in office this winter, President Donald Trump issued an executive order aiming to halt this practice, but the move was halted by the judiciary after lawsuits were initiated.

The Supreme Court's ultimate ruling will ultimately affirm citizenship rights for the children of foreign nationals who are in the US without authorization or on short-term permits, or it will nullify them entirely.

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

The 14th Amendment

For over a century and a half, the Fourteenth Amendment has codified the rule that all individuals born in the country is a American citizen, with exceptions for children born to diplomats and personnel of invading forces.

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

The challenged presidential order sought to deny citizenship to the children of people who are whether in the US illegally or are in the country on temporary visas.

The United States is among about 30 countries – primarily in the Western Hemisphere – that award automatic citizenship to anyone born within their borders.