America's top judicial body will consider legal challenge questioning birthright citizenship.

The US Supreme Court has decided to review a landmark case that questions a century-old principle: guaranteed citizenship for those born within US borders.

On the inaugural day in office this winter, President Donald Trump enacted a directive aiming to halt the policy, but the move was subsequently blocked by the judiciary after lawsuits were brought forward.

The Supreme Court's final decision will ultimately affirm citizenship rights for the offspring of foreign nationals who are in the US undocumented or on short-term permits, or it will end them completely.

Next, the justices will calendar a session to hear oral arguments between the federal government and plaintiffs, which comprise immigrant parents and their newborns.

The Legal Foundation

For over a century and a half, the 14th Amendment has codified the doctrine that all individuals born in the nation is a citizen, with exceptions for children born to foreign diplomats and members of foreign military forces.

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

The disputed directive sought to refuse citizenship to the children of people who are whether in the US in violation of immigration law or are in the country on short-term status.

The United States is among about a minority of states – largely in the Western Hemisphere – that award immediate citizenship to any person born within their borders.