California governor commutes sentences of more than 500 people on death row
Al Jazeera ·
Gavin Newsom cites state values and flaws in the legal system as he grants largest mass clemency in US history.
Newsom says he will commute all 548 of California's death sentences to life without parole
Gavin Newsom cites state values and flaws in the legal system as he grants largest mass clemency in US history.
12 sources · 13 articles · updated 2026-11-06 01:39 UTC · politics
Coverage
Newsom plans to commute all of California's death sentences
PBS NewsHour ·
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 says he'll commute all death row sentences to life in prison
CBC News ·
California governor Gavin Newsom is commuting the death sentences of more than 500 inmates to life in prison with no parole, saying he believes state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with the values of California, undermines the foundations of the legal system and "diminishes each of us."
Gavin Newsom wipes out California's death row in historic mass commutation
Fox News ·
California Gov. Gavin Newsom will commute all 548 death sentences to life without parole, drawing sharp backlash from victims' rights advocates.
Gavin Newsom commutes all California death sentences
POLITICO ·
The governor in a letter to Californians said “state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values.”
Newsom says he will commute all 548 of California's death sentences to life without parole
PBS NewsHour ·
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that he’ll change all death sentences in the state to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
'Inhumane punishment': Governor Gavin Newsom to commute all 548 California death sentences
France 24 ·
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday said he would commute all 548 death sentences in the state to life in prison without parole, marking a major step away from capital punishment as he prepares to leave office after eight years.
California death row sentences to be commuted to life without parole, Newsom says
CBS News ·
The move does not repeal California's death penalty or prevent prosecutors from seeking it in future cases.
California Governor Gavin Newsom commutes sentences for state's 548 death row inmates
BBC News ·
California has historically had the largest population of people on death row in the US.
California governor to spare lives of all 548 death row prisoners in state
The Sydney Morning Herald ·
Gavin Newsom’s move – which would reduce the total US death row population by nearly 30 per cent – has sparked angry reactions from families of murder victims and the state’s district attorneys.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to commute all death sentences
NBC News ·
“I take this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values,” he said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom says he will commute all of California's death sentences
Associated Press ·
California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced he will change all 548 death sentences in the state to life in prison without parole. The state Supreme Court will have the final say in hundreds of these cases. The announcement Thursday comes as Newsom prepares to leave office after eight years and considers a run for president. The Democrat, who’s long been opposed to the death penalty, placed a moratorium on executions in California in 2019. The California District Attorneys Association has expressed concerns, warning it could cause anguish for victims’ families. The ACLU applauded the move, citing racial bias in the death penalty’s implementation.
Gavin Newsom commutes all 548 California death sentences
San Francisco Chronicle ·
The move comes as Newsom openly explores a run for president, and amid a renewed national reckoning with the death penalty.