WASHINGTON (AP) — The state of Texas and the Justice Department gave opening statements Monday in a trial over Texas’ new voter ID law, setting the stage for a legal battle over the federal Voting Rights Act.

At issue is a 2011 law passed by Texas’ GOP-dominated Legislature that requires voters to show photo identification when they head to the polls. The state argued Monday that the law represents the will of the people and does not run afoul of the Voting Rights Act, passed in 1965 to ensure minorities’ right to vote.