Gov. Gavin Newsom Mulls Historic End to California Death Row

Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat and possible presidential contender, is weighing a sweeping commutation that would convert all existing death-row sentences in California to life imprisonment without parole. The consideration has intensified after a recent botched execution in Tennessee and follows months of private deliberation, according to two people familiar with his thinking. A mass commutation would affect every inmate on California’s death row—563 individuals at the time of reporting.

New York Times

California has not carried out an execution for two decades, making the death-penalty system largely dormant. The governor’s contemplation echoes a 2003 precedent set by former Illinois Governor George Ryan, a Republican, who commuted the sentences of 167 inmates shortly before leaving office. No California governor has previously cleared an entire death-row roster.

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• 563 death-row inmates currently housed in California prisons.

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• 20 years since the state’s last execution.

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• 167 inmates had their sentences commuted by Gov. George Ryan in 2003, the largest single-state clemency action before Newsom’s proposal.

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Newsom’s own words, captured on his podcast, reveal the political pressure he faces:

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“I’m getting all those people in my ear: ‘Don’t do it. Don’t do it,’” — Mr. Newsom

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Advisers close to the governor are divided. Some urge a bold, moral stance against capital punishment before Newsom departs office in January, while others warn of potential political backlash for showing leniency toward convicted murderers.

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If Newsom proceeds, the commutation would likely be announced as one of his final acts before the January transition of power. The decision could set a new benchmark for clemency in the United States, but it also risks sparking partisan criticism and legal challenges from opponents of the moratorium.

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