State Rep. Steve Wolens, D-Dallas, is suggesting a new way to tackle the old problem of judges relying on lawyers who practice before them to help fund their campaigns: extend judges’ terms to put more distance between them and their contributors.

“It is a practical approach to something that has been festering the last 10 or 15 years in the Legislature, but has never been resolved,” says Wolens, a partner in Baron & Budd in Dallas.