Newsom Commutes All California Death Sentences: A Historic Shift in Capital Punishment
In a landmark move that reshapes the landscape of capital punishment in the United States, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he is commuting all death sentences in the state to life without the possibility of parole. The decision, coming just two days after the midterm elections and as Newsom prepares to leave office after two terms, affects the nation’s largest death row population. California had not executed anyone in more than 20 years, but it maintained the nation’s largest death row population. With this action, approximately 1,388 people now remain under sentence of death throughout the country, the lowest number since 1984, according to national figures.
The clemency grant will apply immediately to about one-third of death row prisoners, while the remaining two-thirds will require court review before their commutations are final. Specifically, the California Supreme Court must approve 382 cases, and those prisoners remain under death sentences until the court acts. Newsom’s office emphasized that the commutations would not make the inmates eligible for release; the sentences would remain life without the possibility of parole. The governor’s office also clarified that the clemency order does not repeal the death penalty itself and applies only to current sentences, so the statute remains in place. Affected prisoners will remain in prison and are not eligible for release.
The timing of the announcement—just after the midterms and as Newsom prepares to leave office—underscores the political significance of the move. It also highlights the ongoing national debate over capital punishment. On the federal level, President Donald Trump, a long-time supporter of the death penalty, has described capital punishment as “an essential tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit the most heinous crimes and acts of lethal violence against American citizens.” Newsom’s action stands in stark contrast to that view, reflecting a broader shift in California’s approach to criminal justice.
As the California Supreme Court reviews the remaining cases, the full impact of Newsom’s decision will unfold over time. For now, the governor’s clemency grant marks a historic moment: it effectively ends the use of the death penalty in
Shimanta Das 
