Former Arkansas official Nancie Givens has been arrested and charged with 65 felony counts after allegedly tampering with bar examination records over a five-year period.
Givens, the former executive director of the Arkansas Office of Professional Programs, is accused of altering public records connected to aspiring lawyers’ examinations between July 2020 and July 2025.
The office is responsible for safeguarding the accuracy of Arkansas bar examination records. A police investigation found that about 11,400 electronic files relating to applicants’ records, profiles and score sheets had allegedly been altered or deleted.
Those documents are required by law to be retained for 25 years. The charges against Givens relate to tampering with a public record.
Givens resigned in February, after investigators discovered the alleged irregularities in January. She has not publicly explained the allegations.
The case has raised questions about the integrity of bar examinations administered during the period under investigation. Will Jones, prosecuting attorney for the Sixth Judicial District, has not said how many examinations were affected, whether applicants were impacted or whether any alleged changes altered the outcome of bar admissions.
