Updated 16m ago · Politics
Newsom Commutes All 548 California Death Sentences
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday he will commute all of the state's death sentences to life without parole. Most outlets reported that 548 people are affected.
- 561 is the inmate count the New York Post reported, versus 548 elsewhere.
- 40% of sentences Newsom can commute alone; the rest need court approval.
- 2006 was the year of California's last execution.
- 13 inmates have been executed since voters reinstated the penalty in 1978.
Why it matters: The order removes the possibility of execution for California's death row, the largest in the nation. The state's death penalty law itself stays in place.
- $200M+ a year goes to capital appeals, per a 2025 Habeas Corpus Resource Center report.
- Newsom announced after Tuesday's election while weighing a 2028 presidential run.
How 76 sources split on this story
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76 sources · 93 articles · 37% Right coverage
Where they split: Supporters say the death penalty is unfair and costly and cannot be applied justly, while victims' families and prosecutors say the worst killers deserve it and the governor is overriding voters.
Center coverage, 22 sources: The center frames it as an extraordinary use of clemency power that leaves the death penalty law intact and needs court review.
USA Today22hNewsom commutes California death sentences for 548 peopleThe Hill2hNewsom death penalty move ‘impossible to view outside a political lens’: GeragosTMZ19hL.A. District Attorney Nathan Hochman Rips Gavin Newsom For Commuting Death SentencesWKBN Youngstown17hCalifornia Gov. Newsom says he will commute all death sentences in state to life without paroleAssociated Press22hCalifornia Gov. Newsom says he will commute all death sentences in state to life without paroleAxios21hNewsom moves to empty California's death row as 2028 loomsBBC News22hCalifornia Gov Newsom commutes death sentences for all 548 people on death rowCTV News22hCalifornia Gov. Newsom says he will commute all death sentences in state to life without paroleDeutsche Welle21hGavin Newsom commutes sentences of all death row inmates in CaliforniaForbes20hGavin Newsom Commutes Death Sentences Of All 548 People On California Death RowFrance 2421h'Inhumane punishment': California governor Gavin Newsom to commute 548 death sentencesJapan Times16hCalifornia governor says commuting all death sentences in stateNewsweek15hGavin Newsom’s Move Could Significantly Shrink America’s Death RowNOTUS20hNewsom Spares Hundreds of Death Row Inmates in One of His Final Acts as Governor - The Washington SunPBS NewsHour21hNewsom says he will commute all 548 of California's death sentences to life without parolePennLive20hGavin Newsom just made one of his biggest moves yet on California’s death penaltyScripps News22hNewsom commutes all 548 California death sentences to life without paroleSky News1dAll 548 death row inmates in California to have sentences changed to life in prisonThe National Desk21hNewsom moves to commute all California death sentences to life without paroleWFLA News Channel 821hCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom to commute all death sentences in stateWPLG Local 1022hCalifornia Gov. Newsom says he will commute all death sentences in state to life without paroleYahoo News22hNewsom moves to commute all California death sentences to life in prison without parole
Left coverage, 26 sources: The left frames the order as a historic, values-driven break with a system it describes as costly and unjust, while noting its political risks for Newsom.
San Francisco Chronicle19hHow one California death row inmate responded to Newsom's commutationsThe Guardian7hWe’ve just seen a transformative moment in America’s death penalty history | Austin SaratThe Independent19hGov. Gavin Newsom commutes over 500 death sentences in CaliforniaLos Angeles Times22hNewsom wants to empty death row. Most politicians wouldn’t bother — or dareMSNBC19hThursday’s Mini-Report, 11.5.26ABC News21hGov. Newsom says he will commute all death sentences in state to life without paroleAl Jazeera16hCalifornia governor commutes sentences of more than 500 people on death rowCleveland.com20hGavin Newsom just made one of his biggest moves yet on California’s death penaltyCNN22hNewsom commutes sentences of all California death row prisonersCommon Dreams21hACLU Applauds Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Historic Commutation of All Death Sentences in CaliforniaDaily Kos18hNewsom commutes all death row sentences in CaliforniaMediaite19hNewsom Declares Death Penalty ‘Incompatible With California’s Values,’ Commutes All of State’s Death Sentences to Life in PrisonMother Jones18hGavin Newsom has commuted the largest death row in the Western HemisphereNBC News22hCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom commutes all death sentencesPolitical Wire22hNewsom Commutes Sentences of 548 Death Row InmatesPolitico21hGavin Newsom commutes all California death sentencesRaw Story19hMAGA erupts over Newsom’s ‘unbelievably disgusting’ move: 'Justice doesn't matter'Rolling Stone20hCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom Commutes Hundreds of Death Row SentencesSlate19hGavin Newsom’s Clemency Is a Game Changer for America’s Death PenaltyThe Boston Globe21hNewsom commutes sentences of California’s 548 death row inmatesThe Marshall Project22hGavin Newsom Issues Commutations for All 548 Californians Facing ExecutionThe New Republic22hNewsom Moves to Save Everyone on California’s Death Row in Final ActThe New York Times22hNewsom Commutes the Sentences of California’s 548 Death Row InmatesThe Root25mGavin Newsom Is Emptying California’s Death Row. Here’s What It Means for Black Inmates – The RootTime6hWhat to Know About Gavin Newsom’s Historic Commutation of All California Death SentencesTruthout1hNewsom Commutes All 548 Death Sentences in California
Right coverage, 28 sources: The right frames it as Newsom letting condemned killers avoid the punishment courts imposed on them.
New York Post16hHorrific college girl slayings resurface as Gavin Newsom's death row stunt slammed by DAsJust the News2dCalifornia Dem Gov Newsom commutes all 548 death sentences in state to life in prison without paroleHot Air8hNewsom's Death Row PR Move: Legal or Not?Newsmax17hSlain Officer's Mother Slams Newsom CommutationsThe Sun32mFrom child rapist to twisted ‘Alphabet Killer’ – the most dangerous death row maniacs among 548 inmates spared executionBizPac Review5hOutgoing Newsom gives shocking parting gift to California’s death row inmatesBreitbart News18hNewsom Moves to Commute All 548 California Death Sentences to LifeCitizen Free Press17hGavin Newsom commutes every death sentence in California — all 548 on death row.Daily Mail22hGavin Newsom spares every murderer on California's death row in one of his final acts as GovernorLouder with Crowder18hGavin Newsom to commute the death sentences of all killers on death row. Yes, all.NTD18hCalifornia Gov. Newsom to Commute All 548 Pending Death SentencesOutKick20hGavin Newsom wipes out California's death row in historic mass commutationPJ Media1dNewsom Commutes Death Sentences of All 548 California Death Row InmatesRedState17hCA Voters Said, Speed Up Executions; Newsom Said, How About Commutation and a Rehab Center Instead?RSBNetwork20hCA Governor Newsom makes a shocking decision affecting death row inmatesThe Blaze20hGavin Newsom says death penalty is 'incompatible' with California values in massive commutation announcementThe Center Square16hNewsom commutes death sentences for all 548 on death rowThe Daily Caller20hDem Governor Enacts Largest Death Row Mass Commutation In US HistoryThe Daily Wire2dNewsom Moves To Empty California’s Death RowThe Epoch Times2dCalifornia Gov. Newsom to Commute All 548 Pending Death SentencesThe Gateway Pundit21hBREAKING: Newsom Commutes Death Sentences of All 548 People on Death Row * The Gateway Pundit * by Cristina LailaThe Washington Times22hGavin Newsom commutes all California death sentences to life in prisonThe Western Journal2hMother Cries, Savages Newsom for Commuting Death Row Prisoners, Including Man Who Murdered Her Policeman SonTownhall6hGavin Newsom Commutes 548 Death Sentences to Life in PrisonTwitchy16hDem Gov. Gavin Newsom Commutes Sentences of 548 Serial Killers and Rapists on California’s Death RowWashington Examiner19hNewsom commutes executions for all 548 California inmates on death rowWND20h‘Justice and human decency’: Newsom wipes out death sentences for hundreds of murderers * WorldNetDaily * by Bob UnruhZeroHedge15hNewsom Wipes Out 548 'Racist, Inhumane' Death Sentences With One Letter
What’s next: The California Supreme Court must review the commutations that require its approval under the state Constitution.
- The Criminal Justice Legal Foundation said it was ready to challenge commutations in court.
- How quickly will the California Supreme Court rule on the commutations it must review?
- Will a legal challenge from victims' advocates succeed in blocking any commutations?
- How will the decision affect Newsom's standing if he runs for president in 2028?
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