Dont ComplyAccording to a statement from the Arkansas Supreme Court, reproduced by Reason's Volokh Conspiracy, an internal review found irregularities in the administration of the Arkansas Bar Examination. The court says the Sixth Judicial District prosecuting attorney charged Nancie Givens, the former executive director of the Office of Professional Programs, with 65 counts of tampering with a public record. The court said Robert Brech found discrepancies in scores across at least eight test administrations between July 2020 and July 2025, and that about 11,400 files were deleted or made unavailable in January 2026. The court said evidence exists that points were moved from some examinees' scores to others, and that most examinees who were told they passed did pass. Givens resigned in February 2026. The court noted that defendants are presumed innocent. No response from Givens was reported.
Why it matters
The court says the alleged conduct affected the integrity of the bar examination and public confidence in the administration of justice. Records that court rules required to be kept for 25 years were reportedly deleted, and the court is working to recover them.
These are unproven claims, and everyone named is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Researched with AI assistance from the sources listed here and reviewed under our methodology.