California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Nov. 5, 2026, that he had decided to replace all 548 death sentences in the state with life in prison without parole.
The commutations will not take effect until the necessary legal steps are completed, the governor’s office said. Once effective, the commutations would leave the prisoners serving life without parole, with no eligibility for release.
Newsom explained his decision in an open letter to Californians. He described state-sanctioned killing as incompatible with California’s values and damaging to the foundations of its legal system. “These offenders will die in prison but not by our hand,” he wrote.
Court Review Required for Some Cases
Under the California Constitution, the state Supreme Court must review clemency grants to people twice convicted of a felony, Newsom wrote. That requirement means the chief justice and associate justices must participate in the clemency review for those cases.
Newsom said he is confident the categorical clemency is consistent with California law. He acknowledged that the justices did not choose to take up the matter and may personally disagree with it.
Same Commutation for Every Case
Newsom wrote that he considered different categories of capital crimes and offender characteristics, including what some call the “worst of the worst.” He said victims told him that each of them experiences their loss that way. Separating cases for clemency would create two classes of murder victims, he concluded.
He plans to issue the same commutation to every condemned person. In his view, life without parole is the most severe sentence he can lawfully impose and the state can ethically enforce.
Moratorium Left Sentences in Place
The planned commutations go further than the moratorium on executions Newsom instituted on March 13, 2019, soon after taking office. The moratorium formalized a de facto halt in place since 2006, the last year California executed anyone. It left all death sentences in place.
According to the letter, California’s death row is the largest in the Western Hemisphere. Newsom wrote that he has opposed executions as an elected official for nearly three decades.
Newsom argued that the state’s death penalty system is a failure by every measure. He wrote that it has not been and cannot be applied fairly and that it has led to the conviction of innocent people. He added that some capital cases have been in the courts for more than 40 years.
The clemency would help address what Newsom called the costly failure of the death penalty in California. But he wrote that cost is not the reason he is acting.
Victims’ Families and Limits of the Action
Newsom acknowledged that the announcement may bring back painful memories for victims’ families. He said he respects those who strongly disagree, including some relatives of victims.
He wrote that he consulted crime victims and survivors, prison wardens, jurors from capital cases, public safety experts, and religious and civil rights leaders, who did not speak with one voice.
Newsom wrote that his decision leaves California’s death penalty law intact. Voters have chosen to retain it, and repeal remains a matter for the Legislature and voters. Prosecutors retain the discretion to seek death sentences, juries to impose them and courts to uphold them in individual cases.
“As Governor, I alone bear responsibility for this decision and its impact,”
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