US Supreme Court will hear legal challenge questioning citizenship by birth.

The top court has will hear a significant case that puts to the test a century-old principle: guaranteed citizenship for people born on American soil.

On the inaugural day in office this January, President Donald Trump signed an order aiming to end birthright citizenship, but the order was halted by lower courts after constitutional questions were filed.

The Supreme Court's eventual judgment will ultimately uphold citizenship rights for the infants of immigrants who are in the US undocumented or on temporary visas, or it will nullify the provision altogether.

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

The Legal Foundation

For over a century and a half, the 14th Amendment has codified the principle that anyone born in the nation is a citizen, with certain exclusions for children born to diplomats and personnel of foreign military forces.

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

The contested executive order 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 temporary visas.

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