# Newsom commutes sentences of all 548 people on California death row

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/gavin-newsom-commutes-more-than-500-death-sentences-in-california/
- Published: 2026-11-05T22:12:32+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T22:20:33+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/05/gavin-newsom-commutes-death-sentences-california
- Topics: Politics, World

## Key points

- Newsom commuted all 548 California death sentences.
- The sentences become life without parole.
- Many had waited years for legal representation.

## Summary

Gavin Newsom has commuted the death sentences of all 548 people on California’s death row, changing them to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The decision prevents their execution under future governors and is described as the largest clearing of a US death row in modern history.

Newsom said the death penalty conflicts with California’s values and that flaws in the legal system make executions incompatible with justice. The move follows renewed calls for a pause on capital punishment after Christa Pike’s failed execution in Tennessee; California last carried out an execution in 2006, and Newsom imposed a moratorium in 2019. State figures show 220 people had waited at least 15 years for habeas counsel, while 139 had waited 20 years or more.

## Coverage

- [The Guardian: Newsom commutes sentences of all 548 people on California death row](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/05/gavin-newsom-commutes-death-sentences-california)
- [BBC World: California governor commutes death sentences for all 548 people on death row](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqrkyyd2j8mvo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss)
- [New York Times: Newsom Commutes the Sentences of California’s 548 Death Row Inmates](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/05/us/california-death-row-newsom-commutation.html)
- [DW: Gavin Newsom commutes sentences of all death row inmates in California](https://www.dw.com/en/gavin-newsom-commutes-sentences-of-all-death-row-inmates-in-california/a-79870988?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf)
- [France 24: 'Inhumane punishment': California governor Gavin Newsom to commute 548 death sentences](https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20261105-inhumane-punishment-california-governor-gavin-newsom-to-commute-548-death-sentences)
- [PBS NewsHour: Newsom says he will commute all 548 of California's death sentences to life without parole](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/newsom-says-he-will-commute-all-548-of-californias-death-sentences-to-life-without-parole)
- [Fox News: Gavin Newsom wipes out California's death row in historic mass commutation](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gavin-newsom-wipes-out-californias-death-row-historic-mass-commutation)
- [The Hill: California Gov. Gavin Newsom to commute all death sentences in state](https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/6202199-california-gov-gavin-newsom-to-commute-all-death-sentences-in-state/)
- [Le Monde: California governor says commuting all death sentences in the state, calls decision 'among most difficult of my career'](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/11/05/california-governor-newsom-says-commuting-all-death-sentences-in-the-state-calls-decision-among-most-difficult-of-my-career_6773032_4.html)
- [New York Post: California’s most dangerous death row maniacs spared by Gavin Newsom — as gov blasted for mass commutation](https://nypost.com/2026/11/05/us-news/californias-worst-of-the-worst-death-row-inmates-spared-by-gavin-newsom/)
- [The Daily Caller: Gavin Newsom Enacts Largest Death Row Mass Commutation In US History](https://dailycaller.com/2026/11/05/gavin-newsom-enacts-largest-death-row-mass-commutation-in-us-history)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.