CALIFORNIA’S DEATH ROW JUST GOT WIPED! Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he is commuting all 548 California death sentences to life without possibility of parole, BBC News, AP, and the Governor’s Office reported Nov. 5.
This does not release anyone, pardon them, or change convictions or restitution — and it is not parole-eligible. “I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values, undermines the foundations of our legal system and diminishes each of us,” Newsom wrote. Also: “We can now let these offenders die in obscurity while we forever remember and honour the victims.”
California’s last execution was Jan. 17, 2006; Newsom imposed a moratorium in 2019. The California Supreme Court must approve commutations for people twice convicted of felonies (the majority of cases) — at least 4 of 7 justices, CalMatters via BBC reported.
Newsom is term-limited; Xavier Becerra is projected to take over after the midterms. Los Angeles County DA Nathan Hochman said only the legislature or voters can abolish the death penalty — and voters have kept it twice.
Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration by Bugle Blast.
Sources: BBC News, AP, Office of the Governor of California
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