California Governor Newsom seeks clemency for over 500 death row inmates
Governor Gavin Newsom announced a request to commute more than 500 California death sentences to life without parole, pending approval from the state Supreme Court.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said Thursday that he will seek to commute the sentences of 548 inmates on death row to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The governor sent a letter to the California Supreme Court requesting approval for the clemency, which the state constitution requires for most of the cases. About 382 of the commutations would need the court's sign-off, according to Newsom's office.
Newsom, who placed a moratorium on executions in 2019, said the move reflects his belief that state-sanctioned killing conflicts with California's values and the legal 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," he wrote in a public letter.
The Death Penalty Information Center noted that, if approved, the clemency would represent the largest mass commutation in U.S. history and could reduce the national death-row population by nearly 30 percent. The ACLU welcomed the proposal, with Executive Director Anthony Romero stating that the commutations address what the organization describes as a "racist, error-prone, and inhumane punishment."
The announcement drew sharp criticism from victims' advocacy groups and prosecutors. Patricia Wenskunas of Crime Survivors called the decision "offensive" and "outrageous," while the California District Attorneys Association said it disregarded the judgments of juries and judges. Several district attorneys described the action as an abuse of power.
Newsom's initiative follows similar clemency actions by other Democratic governors, including Kate Brown in Oregon (2022) and Jared Polis in Colorado (2020), as well as a 2024 federal clemency granted by Joe Biden.