US Supreme Court will hear lawsuit 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 historic constitutional right: guaranteed citizenship for people born in the United States.

On his first day in office this January, the administration issued an executive order aiming to halt the policy, but the order was subsequently blocked by the judiciary after lawsuits were filed.

The Supreme Court's eventual judgment will ultimately support citizenship rights for the offspring of foreign nationals who are in the US undocumented or on short-term permits, or it will end the provision altogether.

Next, the court will set a time to hear the case between the federal government and claimants, which comprise foreign-born parents 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 nation is a American citizen, with certain exclusions for children born to diplomats and members 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 disputed presidential 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 one of about a minority of states – largely in the North and South America – that provide instant citizenship to any person born in their territory.