Nancie Givens: 65 Felony Counts for Arkansas Bar Exam Charges

• Nancie Givens, former executive director of the Arkansas Supreme Court’s Office of Professional Programs, faces 65 felony counts.
• The charges relate to alleged extensive irregularities and manipulation of Arkansas bar exam results from 2020 to 2025.
• Givens is accused of shifting points between examinees and altering scores, including changing a passing score to a failing one.
• A criminal investigation found 11,400 files, including exam records, were deleted or unavailable, despite a 25-year retention rule.
• Authorities are working to recover data and determine the full scope of the alleged misconduct, promising to notify impacted examinees.

The core of the Nancie Givens Arkansas bar exam charges involves the alleged manipulation of examinee scores.

Nancie Givens, formerly the executive director of the Arkansas Supreme Court’s Office of Professional Programs, is facing 65 felony counts following an investigation that uncovered significant irregularities in Arkansas bar exam results. These charges stem from a period spanning 2020 to 2025, during which extensive misconduct is alleged to have occurred across at least eight separate bar administrations. Givens departed from her position in February of this year, shortly before the criminal investigation commenced.

The core of the Nancie Givens Arkansas bar exam charges involves the alleged manipulation of examinee scores. According to a recent press release, Givens is accused of reallocating points, specifically taking scores from some candidates and assigning them to others. This alleged bar exam score manipulation Arkansas led to certain individuals achieving the minimum passing score who might not have otherwise. Furthermore, in at least one documented instance, an examinee who had legitimately earned a passing score reportedly had their result altered to a failing one. This pattern of alleged Arkansas bar exam fraud has raised serious questions about the integrity of the state's legal admissions process.

A criminal investigation into these Arkansas Supreme Court bar exam irregularities was launched in April by the Arkansas State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This joint effort quickly uncovered alarming issues related to data retention and integrity. Investigators discovered that approximately 11,400 files were either deleted or rendered unavailable. These critical documents predominantly included bar examinee applications, personal profiles, and official exam score sheets.

The disappearance of these records is particularly concerning given that the Office of Professional Programs, under Arkansas Supreme Court rules, was mandated to retain such files for a period of 25 years. Authorities have characterized these alleged actions, if proven true, as an "unprecedented breach of public trust." Currently, state and federal agencies, alongside the state supreme court, are actively engaged in efforts to recover the missing and deleted data, thoroughly analyze the affected test administrations, and ascertain the full scope of the alleged bar exam 2020-2025 misconduct.

While the investigation into the Nancie Givens felony counts is ongoing, the Arkansas Supreme Court has provided some clarity regarding the status of past examinees. The court indicated that the vast majority of individuals who were previously notified of passing the bar exam did, in fact, successfully meet the requirements. However, those whose results were directly impacted by the alleged bar exam score manipulation Arkansas will receive notification as soon as their definitive status can be confirmed.

The revelations of potential Arkansas bar exam fraud between 2020 and 2025 underscore the critical importance of maintaining the integrity of the legal profession's entry standards. As authorities work to unravel the full extent of the alleged misconduct, the focus remains on ensuring fairness and transparency for all examinees. For context, the most recent July 2026 bar exam saw 249 individuals take the test in Arkansas, with a reported 65% pass rate, according to data from the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

Lawyers admitted to the Arkansas bar between 2020-2025 should monitor for official notifications regarding the integrity of their bar exam results, as this scandal could lead to re-evaluation of admissions or impact professional standing for those whose scores were manipulated. Firms should be aware of potential implications for attorneys hired during this period.

Source: Original reporting via a state supreme court press release