Former Arkansas Supreme Court Employee Nancie Givens Charged With 65 Counts

Former Arkansas Supreme Court employee Nancie Givens faces 65 counts of tampering with a public record for allegedly manipulating bar exam scores and deleting approximately 11,400 files between July 2020 and July 2025, talkbusiness.net reported.

Chief Justice Karen Baker announced the findings on Friday following an internal review by the Supreme Court of Arkansas Office of Professional Conduct and Programs. The Sixth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed the formal charges against Givens, who was formerly executive director of the Office of Professional Programs.

The investigation revealed that scores were switched on at least eight bar exams. Investigators found that Givens allegedly reported a failing grade for at least one applicant who actually passed.

Six other Supreme Court justices issued a joint statement detailing how points were allegedly taken from certain examinees and added to others. According to talkbusiness.net, the manipulation resulted in some applicants receiving scores of at least 270, the minimum passing score.

The review also uncovered alterations that dropped a passing examinee to a failing score, while another examinee who should have received the highest score had points deducted.

Robert Brech, executive director of the Office of Professional Conduct, discovered that numerous files and electronic communications had been modified or deleted in early January after taking over supervision following Givens’ resignation in February 2026, according to a joint press release. The deleted records included bar examination applications, applicant profiles, and score sheets required by court rules to be retained for 25 years.

The criminal inquiry began in April 2026 with assistance from the Arkansas State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to talkbusiness.net. The court stated that the vast majority of applicants previously told they passed did indeed pass their examinations.

The Office of Professional Conduct will notify any applicants whose results were affected once their statuses are definitively verified. Meanwhile, the court continues working with investigators to recover the missing data and review every test administration conducted during the questioned five-year period.