# Gavin Newsom’s premeditated attack on the death penalty was an assault on decency and democracy

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/gavin-newsoms-premeditated-attack-on-the-death-penalty-was-an-assault-on-decency-and-democracy/
- Published: 2026-11-06T20:14:39+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Post (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://nypost.com/2026/11/06/opinion/gavin-newsoms-premeditated-attack-on-the-death-penalty/
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Newsom commuted all 548 California Death Row sentences.
- The opinion piece calls the move politically motivated.
- California voters retained the death penalty in 2016.

## Summary

The opinion article argues that Gavin Newsom’s decision to commute the death sentences of all 548 people on California’s Death Row was an abuse of power and a rejection of voters’ choices. It says the move was politically timed and overlooked the interests of victims and their families.

The writer notes that California voters rejected abolishing the death penalty in 2016 and approved a measure to reduce appeals. The article names Randy Kraft, convicted of 16 murders, among those whose sentences were commuted, and says the decision may face legal challenges. It acknowledges principled opposition to capital punishment but portrays Newsom’s action as political manoeuvring linked to a possible presidential campaign.

## Coverage

- [New York Post: Gavin Newsom’s premeditated attack on the death penalty was an assault on decency and democracy](https://nypost.com/2026/11/06/opinion/gavin-newsoms-premeditated-attack-on-the-death-penalty/)
- [Washington Examiner: Newsom unilaterally voids California’s death penalty cases](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/4795668/newsom-unilaterally-voids-californias-death-penalty-cases/)

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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.