US Supreme Court has decided to consider lawsuit challenging birthright citizenship.

The nation's highest court has agreed to take on a pivotal case that questions a century-old constitutional right: birthright citizenship for those born in the United States.

On the inaugural day in office this January, the administration enacted a directive aiming to terminate the policy, but the move was struck down by lower courts after constitutional questions were initiated.

The Supreme Court's ultimate judgment will ultimately support citizenship rights for the children of immigrants who are in the US illegally or on temporary visas, or it will nullify them altogether.

Next, the justices will set a time to hear the case between the government and plaintiffs, which include immigrant parents and their infants.

A Constitutional Cornerstone

For more than 150 years, the Fourteenth Amendment has codified the rule that anyone born in the nation is a US citizen, with certain exclusions for children born to embassy personnel and members of occupying armies.

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

The challenged executive order sought to deny 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 belongs to a group of about 30 countries – largely in the Americas – that award instant citizenship to any person born within their borders.