President Donald Trump’s effort to challenge automatic birthright citizenship is reviving a legal battle that dates back more than a century to a landmark Supreme Court case in San Francisco.

In the late 1800s, amid strong anti-Chinese sentiment, U.S. authorities attempted to deny reentry to Wong Kim Ark, despite his birth on American soil. The government argued he was not a citizen because his parents were foreign nationals.

In 1898, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected that position, ruling that the 14th Amendment guarantees citizenship to nearly all individuals born in the United States.

Now, that precedent is once again under scrutiny. The Court is set to hear arguments over an executive order issued by Trump that would deny automatic citizenship to children born in the U.S. if their parents are neither citizens nor legal permanent residents.

The renewed legal challenge has raised concerns among descendants of Wong Kim Ark. His great-grandson, Norman Wong, said the case represents a fundamental principle of American identity.

“Wong Kim Ark knew he was an American and fought to have that recognized,” he said, emphasizing that the original ruling affirmed a constitutional right rather than creating a new one.

Legal experts say the upcoming case could have far-reaching implications for immigration policy and constitutional interpretation, potentially reshaping a cornerstone of U.S. citizenship law established more than a century ago.