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US Politics

California Gov. Newsom says he will commute all 548 death sentences

The state Supreme Court must approve 382 of them, Newsom's office says, and the death penalty itself stays on the books.

Gavin Newsom in 2026
Gavin Newsom in 2026. Photo: Charles Ommanney – Office of the Governor of California, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
27 news outlets reported this
Liberal11 outletsa historic clearing of death rowCenter9 outletslegal hurdles and reactions after the announcementConservative7 outletsevery killer spared, and victims' families objecting
Published 4 min read
Overview

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said on Thursday in an open letter to Californians that he will turn all 548 of the state's into life terms with no chance of . His office says the group includes 529 men and 19 women, and the state has the largest death row in the Western Hemisphere. Newsom wrote that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California's values.

Under the state constitution, the California must approve for anyone convicted of more than one . Newsom's office says that covers 382 of the commutations, roughly 70%. The move does not repeal the death penalty, and voters rejected repeal measures in 2012 and 2016.

California last carried out an execution in 2006, and Newsom placed a moratorium on them in 2019. The ACLU applauded the decision. Los Angeles County Nathan Hochman said the governor's power does not extend to eliminating the death penalty.

Straight Arrow News reports that Anne Marie Schubert, a former Sacramento district attorney, plans to file a lawsuit over the commutations. Newsom leaves office in January, and Xavier Becerra, a Democrat taking over, has said he will extend the moratorium.

Key figures
  • 548 death sentences Newsom says he will commute — CBS News
  • 382 commutations needing state Supreme Court approval, per Newsom's office — The Seattle Times
  • 529 are men and 19 are women makeup of the 548, per Newsom's office — The Seattle Times
  • 45 people considered to have exhausted appeals, per Newsom's office, as reported by The Guardian — The Guardian (US)

Three sides of the story

Liberal11 outlets

a historic clearing of death row

The Guardian opens with the scale: Newsom commuted more than 500 sentences, "the largest clearing of any US death row in modern history." It reports that the ACLU and other death penalty opponents praised the announcement. It also quotes Jeanne Woodford, who once led California's prisons and oversaw four executions there, and Jess Nichol, sister of Polly Klaas, who calls execution "a distraction from what we actually need."

Axios ties the move to Newsom's final months and a possible 2028 presidential bid, and adds that it will not end the death penalty, which voters kept in 2012 and 2016. MS NOW quotes Newsom saying his decision "may surface excruciating memories for victims' families" and cites the Death Penalty Information Center for the 548 figure. The Independent notes Newsom's feuds with Donald Trump and his September remark that he would not run if Kamala Harris did.

CBS News stresses that the move does not repeal the death penalty or stop prosecutors from seeking it in future cases.

Center9 outlets

legal hurdles and reactions after the announcement

BBC News calls the decision "largely symbolic" in a state with no execution since 2006, though it says experts see possible savings of millions of dollars in court costs each year. It adds that most commutations need Supreme Court sign-off, citing CalMatters, and quotes the ACLU's Anthony Romero. Straight Arrow News includes Newsom's acknowledgement that the justices must join a decision they "did not choose to take up," and reports that Anne Marie Schubert, who leads the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, plans to file a lawsuit against him.

Deutsche Welle gives the 382 figure, roughly 70%, and notes that 53% of voters rejected a 2016 measure to abolish the penalty. Courthouse News and The Seattle Times ran an Associated Press report. The Seattle Times version adds the California District Attorneys Association's "grave concerns,"

Patricia Wenskunas of Crime Survivors calling the move "outrageous," Nichol's support and Becerra's pledge to extend the moratorium.

Conservative7 outlets

every killer spared, and victims' families objecting

Fox News calls the move a "historic mass commutation" and gives space to Marc Klaas, Polly Klaas's father, who says Newsom "has definitely secured the serial killer vote now." It also quotes the Rev. Jeff Hood praising the decision as "moral leadership." The Daily Caller's headline says Newsom enacts the largest death row mass commutation in US history, and it names inmates affected, including Marcus Wesson and Richard Allen Davis.

The Daily Mail says Newsom "spares every murderer," reports it is unclear whether he can reduce every sentence, quotes Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman saying only the Legislature or voters can end the death penalty, and profiles inmates. The Blaze notes Newsom waited until after Election Day and has hinted at a 2028 run. The Post Millennial prints his letter and writes that the convicted committed "the most horrific crimes known to mankind," with mercy going to them and "not the victims' families."

All sources: 27 articles from 27 outlets

Liberal (11)

Center (9)

Conservative (7)

Death row and lethal injection

Where prisoners sentenced to death wait, often for years, while their appeals are heard. The death penalty exists in about half the states and under federal law, and lethal injection is the usual method.

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Probation and parole

Two ways of serving a sentence outside prison under supervision: probation is ordered instead of prison, parole is early release from it. Breaking the conditions can mean prison.

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Supreme Court

The highest US court: nine justices, appointed for life by the president with the Senate's approval. Its rulings bind every other court.

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Clemency and commutation

Mercy a president or governor grants a convicted person. A commutation shortens the sentence but the conviction stands, a pardon forgives the crime, and a reprieve only delays the punishment.

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Felony and misdemeanor

A felony is a serious crime that can bring more than a year in prison, and a conviction can cost the right to vote or some jobs. A misdemeanor is a lesser offence: up to a year in jail, a fine or probation.

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District attorney and US attorney

A district attorney is the local prosecutor, usually elected, who brings charges under state law. A US attorney is the federal prosecutor for a district, appointed by the president, who brings federal charges.

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