A former Arkansas Supreme Court official faces 65 felony counts after investigators uncovered evidence that she allegedly manipulated bar exam scores across multiple test administrations. She also allegedly deleted thousands of records that state rules required the court to preserve.
Nancie Givens, former executive director of the Arkansas Supreme Court’s Office of Professional Programs, allegedly took points from some test-takers and gave them to others, according to the state Supreme Court.
The alleged changes allowed some candidates to reach the minimum passing score, while at least one person who originally earned a passing grade may have received a failing score instead.
Investigators also found evidence that Givens lowered the score of the person who earned the highest mark on an exam, allowing another examinee to receive recognition as the top performer.
The alleged misconduct affected at least eight Arkansas bar exam administrations between July 2020 and July 2025, according to the court. Givens faces 65 counts of tampering with a public record under Arkansas law. The charges followed an investigation launched in April 2026 by Arkansas State Police and the FBI.
The investigation began after Robert Brech, who took over the Office of Professional Programs following Givens’ February 2026 resignation, reviewed its records and discovered that someone had deleted or made approximately 11,400 electronic files inaccessible. Many involved bar exam applications, candidate profiles, and score sheets.
Arkansas Supreme Court rules require the office to retain those records for 25 years. The court said the missing documents raised concerns about the administration of the exam and whether the reported results accurately reflected candidates’ performance.
The office eventually restored more than 8,000 files, according to information cited in the investigation. A review of the recovered records revealed discrepancies in scores from multiple testing periods.
The court described the allegations as a serious violation of public confidence. “If these allegations are true, these actions constitute an unprecedented breach of public trust,” the court said in its statement.
The Arkansas Supreme Court said the “vast majority” of people previously informed that they passed the bar exam had, in fact, earned passing scores. Officials said they would notify affected test-takers once they confirmed how the changes impacted each person’s results.
The court is working with state and federal authorities to recover the remaining records, examine the affected testing periods, and determine how many examinees may have received inaccurate results. Officials have also said they are pursuing additional oversight and security measures to protect the exam process.
The allegations have unsettled members of Arkansas’ legal community, including John Dipippa, a longtime law professor and dean emeritus of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s William H. Bowen School of Law.
According to FOX16, Dipippa said news of the charges angered him because he has long regarded the legal profession and its institutions as essential to public trust.
“It made me so angry because I wouldn’t have been a lawyer if I didn’t love the law and love the legal system, and this just strikes a blow at the heart of it,” Dipippa said.
He explained that the bar examination typically includes multiple-choice questions, written essays, and a practical component. Committees evaluate the written and practical portions, a process he said he had never previously questioned.
“I never questioned the process. You know, maybe I disagreed with the model answer; you know, it went one way; it should’ve gone one way. But I never questioned the integrity of the process,” he said.
The investigation, however, has changed how he views the exam’s administration during the period under scrutiny.
“That’s what’s scary because now we have good reason to question the integrity of the process. At least for the last five years,” Dipippa said.
Arkansas requires examinees to earn at least 270 points to pass. Dipippa said the allegations suggest someone altered scores after the grading process had already concluded.
“What seems to have happened here is that after everything was graded and those scores were submitted, apparently this is the claim: points were taken from some students and given to other students to raise their scores,” he said.
The potential consequences extend beyond the people whose scores may have been altered. Dipippa recalled speaking with a student considering the February bar examination who questioned whether taking it was worth the risk.
“Potential applicants who are looking at law school in Arkansas may think, Well, why bother…these people are crazy,” he said.
Dipippa also said the charges, as currently described, do not establish that Givens worked with anyone else or accepted money in exchange for changing scores. He cautioned against assuming a motive before investigators establish what happened.
Givens posted bond after her arrest, and the court scheduled her next hearing.
The Supreme Court said it has introduced new testing procedures and security protections beginning with the February 2026 administration. The court also referred Givens to its Office of Professional Conduct for a separate investigation into alleged violations of professional conduct rules.
The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not yet determined the full number of examinees affected by the alleged score changes.
