Washington —The Justice Department said it will sue Texas on Thursday, Aug. 22, to try to block a voter identification requirement, enacted in 2011, setting up a new battle between the Obama administration and a state that is a conservative stronghold.

The requirement, unlike similar laws passed in other states, was enacted with the purpose of denying the right to vote to racial minorities and would have that effect if implemented, the Justice Department said in a statement.

The department said the Texas law violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, as well as the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution.

“Today’s action marks another step forward in the Justice Department’s continuing effort to protect the voting rights of all eligible Americans,” said Attorney General Eric Holder.

Voter ID laws have become a political and racial flashpoint across the country, with Democrats generally opposing the measures and many Republicans backing them. Supporters say they are needed to deter people from illegally casting ballots, while opponents say voter fraud is exaggerated, in order to mask purposeful suppression of Democratic constituencies.