Newsom Commutes All 548 California Death Sentences to Life Without Parole

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday, Nov. 5, that he will commute every death sentence in the state, converting the sentences of the 548 people on death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole, CBS News and PBS News reported. He made the announcement in a letter as he prepares to leave office after eight years.

Newsom is using his constitutional clemency authority. The state constitution requires California Supreme Court approval before a governor can grant clemency to someone convicted of more than one felony, both outlets reported, so some of the cases will need that review. CBS said Newsom described the order as the most severe punishment he can impose through clemency, and quoted him saying ‘state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values.’ PBS said he called it among the hardest decisions of his career because it will bring back painful memories for victims’ families, and that he ‘alone’ bears responsibility.

The order does not end capital punishment in California. CBS reported it does not repeal the death penalty or stop prosecutors from seeking it in future cases, which remain decisions for prosecutors, juries and courts. Newsom imposed a moratorium on executions in 2019, both outlets said, and CBS added that California has not carried out an execution since 2006. California voters rejected a ballot measure to repeal the death penalty in 2016, according to CBS and PBS; CBS added that they also rejected abolition in 2012 and approved a measure to speed up death-penalty cases.

Reaction split along familiar lines. Anthony Romero, executive director of the ACLU, applauded the move and called the death penalty racist, error-prone and inhumane, PBS reported. Los Angeles County Public Defender Ricardo García told CBS that ‘clemency is not leniency.’ Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer criticized it as overriding jury verdicts and undermining victims’ families, saying ‘the pursuit of justice does not bend to political whims,’ per CBS, and said his office will keep seeking the death penalty where prosecutors think it warranted.

Questions remain about how the Supreme Court review will work and how quickly commutations take effect for those with multiple felony convictions. Neither outlet explained the timeline. PBS noted that the ACLU is involved in a separate legal challenge to the state’s death-penalty statute as racially discriminatory and unconstitutional, though it did not report the status of that case.

For now the order covers those already sentenced. CBS said prosecutors can still seek the death penalty in new cases, and the Orange County district attorney said his office will do so where it sees fit.