Newsom plans to commute all of California's death sentences

PBS NewsHour · Amna Nawaz, Molly Mazilu, Solveig Rennan Sandbulte · 2026-11-05 23:40 UTC

California Gov. Gavin Newsom commuted the state’s entire death row population to life in prison without parole. The decision could grant clemency to 548 people. Newsom had previously put a moratorium on executions in the state in 2019, but left hundreds on death row. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Robin Maher of the Death Penalty Information Center.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom commuted the state’s entire death row population to life in prison without parole. The decision could grant clemency to 548 people. Newsom had previously put a moratorium on executions in the state in 2019, but left hundreds on death row. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Robin Maher of the Death Penalty Information Center.

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