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Will Newsom’s death penalty commutations stick?
Confirmed
In Short: Newsom, who has been a vocal critic of the death penalty, announced the decision in an open letter to the public, stating that he firmly believes the death penalty is incompatible with California's values.
On Thursday, outgoing California Governor Gavin Newsom commuted the sentences of all 548 condemned prisoners to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Newsom's action comes shortly after he imposed a moratorium on executions in 2019, a move that has been met with mixed reactions.
Support for the decision includes Jess Nichol, the sister of Polly Klaas, who was murdered in 1993. Nichol supports Newsom’s decision, highlighting the governor's stance on the death penalty.
An advocacy group from crime victims also plans to challenge Newsom’s order, according to CalMatters’ Jeanne Kuang and Nigel Duara.
Newsom emphasized in his letter that he alone bears responsibility for this decision and its impact, just as he would for each execution.
The commutations will not take effect until the necessary legal steps are completed, and the people whose sentences are changed will remain in prison and will not be eligible for release.
Of the 548 people sentenced to death, 529 are men and 19 are women. Newsom’s decision will require court approval for nearly 400 of the commutations.
Newsom framed the move as a matter of conscience, noting that he has come to understand the limits of what government can justly accomplish.
What this adds
Newsom's decision is part of a broader trend of declining support for the death penalty in the United States, with executions becoming increasingly unpopular and more expensive than other punishments.
What's confirmed
- Shortly after taking office in 2019, he issued a moratorium on executions.
- Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he will commute every California death sentence to a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
- Newsom said California has the largest death row in the Western Hemisphere.
- “State-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values, undermines the foundations of our legal system and diminishes each of us,” Newsom wrote in an open letter Thursday.
- Of the 548 people sentenced to death, 529 are men and 19 are women.
What's still developing
- Gavin Newsom reminded everyone that he’s still the governor on Thursday when he handed down a historic commutation of every California death sentence.
- In an open letter released Thursday, Newsom said he has come to believe capital punishment has no place in California, calling it “state-sanctioned killing” that conflicts with the state’s values.
- Newsom announced the decision Thursday in an open letter to Californians, arguing that the death penalty is incompatible with the state's values and justice system.
- In an open letter to Californians, Newsom said he was exercising his constitutional clemency authority.