US Supreme Court has decided to consider lawsuit questioning citizenship by birth.

The US Supreme Court has agreed to take on a pivotal case that puts to the test a longstanding constitutional right: automatic citizenship for those born within US borders.

On the inaugural day in office this January, the President enacted a directive aiming to terminate birthright citizenship, but the order was struck down by lower courts after legal challenges were filed.

The Supreme Court's final judgment will ultimately affirm citizenship rights for the children of foreign nationals who are in the US without authorization or on non-immigrant visas, or it will end them completely.

Next, the justices will set a time to hear the case between the administration and claimants, which include foreign-born parents and their young children.

The Legal Foundation

For nearly 160 years, the 14th Amendment has codified the rule that every person born in the country is a citizen, with specific conditions for children born to foreign diplomats and personnel of occupying armies.

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

The disputed presidential order sought to refuse citizenship to the offspring of people who are whether in the US without legal status or are in the country on temporary visas.

The United States is among about a minority of states – mostly in the Americas – that provide instant citizenship to anyone born on their soil.