California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an open letter Thursday announcing a sweeping clemency action that will affect every inmate currently on death row. The governor, who is in his final term and has hinted at a possible presidential run, said the decision was among the most difficult of his political career.
Details of the commutation
Newsom stated, “I take this action because I firmly believe that state‑sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values.” Under the California Constitution, the governor has the authority to grant clemency, including commutations of sentence and pardons. The move will convert the sentences of more than 500 prisoners from death to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Of the 548 people on death row, 529 are men and 19 are women. While most of the commutations can be effected by the governor’s order alone, nearly 400 cases will require approval from the California Supreme Court because the state constitution requires court consent for clemency involving repeat felony convictions.
Historical context and public opinion
California has not carried out an execution since January 17, 2006, when Clarence Ray Allen was put to death by lethal injection. Gov. Newsom has long opposed capital punishment and instituted a moratorium on the practice in 2019. Voters have repeatedly rejected measures to abolish the death penalty: a 2012 statewide ballot to repeal capital punishment was defeated, and in 2016 voters rejected Prop. 62 (which would have ended the death penalty) while approving Prop. 66, which kept it in place and set time limits on legal challenges.
Reactions from officials and prosecutors
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman emphasized that the governor’s power does not extend to eliminating capital punishment itself. He wrote, “The Governor has chosen to commute existing death sentences to life without the possibility of parole, as is within his constitutional power. Only the Legislature or the voters can change the death penalty law.”
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer sharply criticized the decision, calling it “mercy for the wolves” and warning that it undermines the principle that the most heinous crimes deserve the ultimate punishment.
Comparisons and precedent
Other governors have taken similar actions. Oregon’s Gov. Kate Brown granted broad clemency to all death‑row inmates in 2022, and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis did the same in 2020. At the federal level, President Joe Biden granted clemency to 37 of the 40 federal death‑row prisoners in 2024.
What comes next
The outgoing governor will be succeeded by Democrat Xavier Becerra, who defeated Republican businessman Steve Hilton in the November election and will be sworn in in January. Victims registered with California’s Office of Victims and Survivor Rights and Services will be notified when the commutations take effect.
Newsom’s action underscores a growing tension between elected officials who view capital punishment as morally incompatible with contemporary values and a segment of the electorate that continues to support it in ballot measures. As the state moves forward, the legislature and voters will remain the ultimate arbiters of whether California’s capital punishment statutes are revised or repealed.
Original reporting: NBC Connecticut — read the source article.
