Newsom commutes all 548 California death sentences in the largest mass clemency in U.S. history

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Thursday that he is commuting the death sentences of all 548 people on the state's death row, changing them to life in prison without the possibility of parole. It is the largest mass commutation in U.S. history, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, and it will cut the nation's death-row population by nearly 30%: about 1,388 people would remain under sentence of death nationwide, the lowest number since 1984.

Newsom announced the decision in an open letter addressed "to all Californians," in which he said that "state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California's values, undermines the foundations of our legal system, and diminishes all of us." The action does not repeal the death penalty: prosecutors may still seek it in new cases. California has not executed anyone since 2006 and has the largest death row in the Western Hemisphere.

The commutation will take effect immediately for about one-third of the condemned, but the other two-thirds — 382 people convicted of more than one felony — need approval from at least four of the seven justices of the California Supreme Court, as the state Constitution requires. Newsom asked the court for its recommendation before the end of 2026, so the process can be completed before he leaves office in January. Those granted clemency will also not be eligible for new parole regulations.

The decision divided victims' families and prosecutors. The California District Attorneys Association "strongly condemned" the move, and Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer called it "mercy for the wolves." By contrast, Jess Nichol, the sister of Polly Klaas — murdered in 1993 by one of the condemned men — supported the decision, saying execution "has absolutely nothing to do with my recovery or with real public safety." The announcement came on the same day as three executions in Alabama, Indiana and Florida.

Photo: Martin do Nascimento / CalMatters

Source: USA Today