Newsom commutes all 548 California death sentences to life
Ongoing: US mid-terms Hot
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced in a three-page letter that he believes capital punishment is morally wrong. The inmates will get life in prison without parole, and the move covers more than a fourth of all US death row prisoners.
Newsom, a Democrat, said the state cannot morally kill the inmates. He said they will die in prison, but not by the hand of the state. The death penalty stays on the books in California unless voters or the legislature repeal it.
Bill Essayli, the US prosecutor in Los Angeles appointed by President Donald Trump, said the clemency is a major blow to Californians and to the families of victims. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office will keep evaluating every case eligible for the death penalty with rigor, care and restraint.
Laura Porter, head of the US Campaign to End the Death Penalty, said this is the largest mass clemency of a death row by a US governor so far. A poll found 55% of Americans support the death penalty for the most serious crimes, down from 63% in 2017. The poll found 31% oppose capital punishment altogether.
Key facts
- Who
- Gavin Newsom (Governor of California (Democrat)); Nathan Hochman (Los Angeles County District Attorney); Laura Porter (head of the US Campaign to End the Death Penalty); Bill Essayli (Trump-appointed US prosecutor in Los Angeles)
- What
- Newsom announced in a three-page letter that he will commute the death sentences of all 548 condemned inmates in California, saying he believes capital punishment is morally wrong. Capital punishment remains on the books in California unless repealed by voters or the legislature.
- When
- 5 November 2026
- Where
- California, Tennessee, Indiana
- Status
- Reported