America's top judicial body has decided to consider lawsuit disputing citizenship by birth.

The US Supreme Court has decided to review a significant case that puts to the test a century-old constitutional right: guaranteed citizenship for individuals born within US borders.

On day one in office this January, the administration enacted a directive aiming to end this practice, but the order was subsequently blocked by federal courts after legal challenges were initiated.

The Supreme Court's ultimate judgment will either support citizenship rights for the children of immigrants who are in the US illegally or on non-immigrant visas, or it will nullify them completely.

Next, the court will set a time to hear oral arguments between the administration and claimants, which include parents who are immigrants and their infants.

The 14th Amendment

For over a century and a half, the 14th Amendment has enshrined the rule that all individuals born in the nation is a American citizen, with certain exclusions for children born to embassy personnel and members of foreign military forces.

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

The disputed executive order sought to refuse citizenship to the children of people who are either in the US in violation of immigration law or are in the country on temporary visas.

The United States is one of about three dozen nations – largely in the Western Hemisphere – that grant automatic citizenship to all those born within their borders.