California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the largest proposed mass commutation of death sentences in U.S. history, sparing hundreds of convicted murderers from execution while leaving many of the decisions subject to California Supreme Court approval.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday, Nov. 5, that he is commuting the death sentences of all 548 inmates on California’s death row to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, a historic clemency action that would effectively eliminate existing death sentences in the state if fully approved by the courts.
The decision comes during the final months of Newsom’s eight-year tenure and follows his 2019 executive order suspending executions in California. Although the moratorium halted executions, hundreds of convicted murderers remained sentenced to death.
According to The Associated Press, the commutations affect 529 men and 19 women, including prisoners convicted of some of California’s most notorious murders.
However, the governor’s announcement does not automatically finalize every commutation. Under the California Constitution, clemency for prisoners with multiple felony convictions requires approval from the California Supreme Court.
That provision applies to 382 of the 548 inmates, meaning more than two-thirds of the proposed commutations require judicial approval before taking effect.
In an open letter explaining his decision, Newsom argued that capital punishment is incompatible with the state’s principles and justice system.
“I take this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values, undermines the foundations of our legal system, and diminishes each of us,” Newsom wrote.
The governor acknowledged that the announcement would provoke strong reactions, particularly among relatives of murder victims who had spent decades awaiting the completion of death sentences.
“As Governor, I alone bear responsibility for this decision and its impact, just as I alone would bear responsibility for each execution,” he wrote.
The commutations will not overturn any murder convictions, release prisoners or make them eligible for parole. Those whose sentences are successfully changed will remain incarcerated for life.
California’s death row is the largest in the Western Hemisphere. If all 548 commutations take effect, the action would represent the largest mass commutation of death sentences in American history and reduce the nation’s death row population by approximately one-third, according to The Marshall Project.
The announcement also conflicts with positions previously expressed by California voters.
In 2012, voters rejected Proposition 34, which would have abolished the state’s death penalty and replaced it with life imprisonment without parole.
Four years later, voters again rejected an effort to repeal capital punishment through Proposition 62 while approving Proposition 66, an initiative intended to accelerate death penalty appeals and executions.
Despite those results, California has not executed a prisoner since January 2006. Newsom’s 2019 moratorium further suspended executions during his administration.
The latest announcement goes beyond that moratorium by seeking to permanently replace existing death sentences with life imprisonment.
The California District Attorneys Association raised objections before Thursday’s announcement, warning that blanket clemency would disregard the circumstances of individual murder cases and the interests of victims’ families.
Association President Jeannine M. Pacioni expressed those concerns in a letter to the governor last month.
“Every death sentence in California represents an individual case in which a jury heard the evidence, considered the circumstances and determined that the most serious punishment under our law was warranted,” Pacioni said.
“To simply erase all those judgments with the stroke of a pen, without considering the facts of each case or the families affected, would be a profound disservice to the administration of justice.”
The governor’s decision affects prisoners convicted of crimes that have attracted national attention, including Richard Allen Davis, who murdered 12-year-old Polly Klaas in 1993.
The case became a major public safety issue in California and helped strengthen support for tougher sentencing laws.
Families of murder victims have expressed differing views about capital punishment. Some contend that death sentences provide accountability for especially serious crimes, while others oppose executions and argue that prolonged appeals impose additional emotional burdens.
Newsom acknowledged those disagreements, describing the commutations as one of the most difficult decisions of his political career.
Civil liberties organizations welcomed the announcement.
American Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Anthony Romero praised the move, arguing that California’s application of capital punishment has been affected by racial disparities, wrongful convictions and inconsistent sentencing.
“These commutations reflect what justice demands: an end to a racist, error-prone, and inhumane punishment that has burdened California for far too long,” Romero said.
The ACLU has also pursued litigation challenging California’s death penalty system on constitutional grounds.
Newsom has repeatedly cited concerns about wrongful convictions and disparities involving race, geography and access to legal representation.
In explaining Thursday’s action, he criticized the state’s record of administering capital punishment.
“By every measure, California’s system for administering the death penalty is a failure,” Newsom wrote. “It has not been and cannot be fairly applied and has resulted in the conviction of innocent people.”
The commutations do not repeal California’s death penalty statute, which remains in effect. Prosecutors may continue seeking capital punishment in qualifying murder cases unless the law is changed.
The distinction means that future defendants could still receive death sentences even if all currently condemned prisoners have their punishments commuted.
Several other governors have taken similar actions on a smaller scale.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown commuted the death sentences of the state’s remaining 17 death row prisoners in December 2022. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis commuted three death sentences in 2020 as his state abolished capital punishment for future offenses.
Former President Joe Biden commuted 37 of 40 federal death sentences in December 2024, replacing them with life imprisonment without parole.
Newsom’s action would far exceed those measures in the number of prisoners affected.
His successor, Democratic Gov.-elect Xavier Becerra, has indicated that he intends to continue California’s moratorium on executions after taking office in January 2027.
Newsom, who is leaving office because of term limits, is also being discussed as a potential candidate for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. He has not formally announced a presidential campaign.
The California Supreme Court must now review the 382 commutations involving prisoners with multiple felony convictions. The court’s decisions will determine how many of those sentences can legally be changed.
The remaining commutations are not subject to the same constitutional approval requirement.
Although Newsom’s announcement represents a major change in California’s handling of capital punishment, it does not result in the release of any prisoners or eliminate the possibility of future death sentences.
The governor’s decision instead seeks to ensure that every person currently sentenced to death in California serves life imprisonment without parole, subject to the required judicial approvals.
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