Newsom to commute all 548 California death sentences

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he will seek to commute the death sentences of all 548 inmates currently held on California's death row.

The action replaces capital punishment with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. This move clears the state's death roster in its entirety. It stands as the largest mass commutation of death sentences in modern U.S. history.

Newsom wrote an open letter to residents to explain the decision. He stated that state-sanctioned killing conflicts with California's values. He also argued the practice undermines the legal system. The governor imposed a moratorium on executions in 2019. He has long described the death penalty system as costly and discriminatory. California has not executed an inmate since 2006.

The commutations apply to 529 men and 19 women. Legal hurdles remain for a large share of these cases. The state constitution requires Supreme Court approval for clemency when prisoners hold multiple felony convictions. Approximately 382 cases fall into this category. The full process may extend past Newsom's departure from office in January.

The decision concludes years of administrative resistance to executions in the nation's most populous state. Newsom closed the execution chamber at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center shortly after his 2019 inauguration. Voters had previously rejected ballot measures to repeal capital punishment. His final term ends next year, amid speculation about a 2028 presidential bid.

Civil rights groups welcomed the step. The ACLU of Southern California called it an essential remedy for a structure advocates view as racially biased. Victim rights advocates and conservative leaders criticized the intervention. They argued the blanket commutations ignore voter directives and deny justice to families of crime victims.