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Newsom Commutes All California Death Sentences
· Confirmed
In Short: California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he will commute the death sentences of all 548 inmates on death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to the BBC and the San Francisco Chronicle.
In an open letter to Californians, Newsom said he took this action because he firmly believes that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California's values, undermines the foundations of the legal system, and diminishes each of us, as reported by the BBC, CBS News, and KBAK.
Newsom acknowledged that his decision will anger and hurt some Californians and that it will 'always weigh heavily on me,' as quoted by the BBC.
The commutations will not take effect until required legal steps are completed, and the people whose sentences are changed will remain in prison and will not be eligible for release, according to KRCR.
Newsom noted that François Mitterrand took a similar ethical stance in his presidential campaign in France in 1981, which was rewarded by the public, as the BBC reported.
In 2019, Newsom had already ordered a halt to the death penalty in the state, but he said it wasn't enough as the death sentences remained intact, as quoted by the CBC.
Newsom said he agonized over the decision for years and that as governor, he alone bears responsibility for this decision and its impact, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle and the Staradvertiser.
The commutations follow his 2019 moratorium on executions, which halted executions but left the death sentences in place, according to Nbclosangeles.
Newsom's decision comes as he has been discussed as a possible 2028 presidential contender, as noted by the BBC.
Newsom's move could clear the nation’s largest death row and mark a major step toward ending the death penalty, amid ongoing legal challenges alleging racial discrimination in the state’s capital punishment system, as reported by Actionnewsnow.
Newsom said the decision was among the most difficult choices of his career because it will surface painful memories for crime victims' families, as quoted by PBS and Midmichigannow.
What this adds
Newsom's decision to commute all death sentences in California is a significant shift from his previous actions and statements regarding the death penalty, as noted by the San Francisco Chronicle and the Staradvertiser.
Background
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced he will commute the death sentences of all 548 inmates on death row to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
California Governor Gavin Newsom commuted all death sentences in the state to life in prison without parole.
What's confirmed
- "After nearly 30 years in public office, I have come to understand the limits of what government can justly accomplish," Newsom said.
- Newsom announced the decision Thursday in an open letter, saying he will use his constitutional clemency authority to commute the sentences of 548 people currently facing the death penalty.
- Many races are still being counted, but you can see the current results here. by By SOPHIE AUSTIN, JAIMIE DING and CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that he’ll change more than 500 death sentences in the state to life in prison without the possibility of parole, though the state Supreme Court will have the final say in hundreds of those cases.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he plans to commute the death sentences of all 548 people on the state’s death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
- Newsom said today he will commute the death sentences of all 548 inmates currently condemned to execution in his state, the largest death row in the Western Hemisphere.
- Newsom moved to grant clemency to 548 people currently sentenced to death in California; 529 are men and 19 are women, according to numbers provided by his office.
- READ MORE: Christa Pike says she feels constant pain in first public statement since failed execution Newsom said the decision was among the most difficult choices of his career because it will surface painful memories for crime victims' families.
What's still developing
- California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the largest mass commutation in the country's history, changing the state's entire death row population sentences to life in prison without parole.
- Newsom has long opposed the death penalty and issued a moratorium on the practice in California in 2019.
- 17, 2006, when Clarence Ray Allen was put to death by lethal injection.
- Having already instituted a moratorium on executions in California Gov. Gavin Newsom indicated he is considering taking a far more drastic step: Commuting the sentences of all 563 individuals currently on the state's death row.
- Decades after his daughter Polly Klaas was murdered, Marc Klaas speaks out against California Gov. Gavin Newsom's potential plan to commute California’s remaining death sentences, calling the move a betrayal of crime victims and voters.