Attorneys running for district judge in Texas would need double the years of experience under legislation that is advancing through the Texas Legislature.

Currently the Texas Constitution says that a candidate for a district court must be licensed as an attorney for at least four years. The threshold would increase to eight years under Senate Joint Resolution 47, which received a public hearing on Wednesday and was left pending in the Texas House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee. The measure already passed the Senate on April 27.