Newsom commutes all 548 California death sentences to life without parole

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday commuted the death sentences of all 548 people on the state's death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to BBC News. Reuters, NBC News and AP carried the same news. Newsom is term-limited and leaves office in January.

What Newsom said

In a letter, Newsom wrote that "state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California's values, undermines the foundations of our legal system and diminishes each of us." He called the state's death penalty system "a failure" that cannot be fairly applied, and said life without parole is the most severe punishment he can lawfully impose. He acknowledged the decision will anger and hurt some Californians and that he alone bears responsibility for it.

Largely symbolic, with one catch

BBC reports the practical effect is limited: California has not carried out an execution since 2006, and only 13 inmates have been executed since voters reinstated the death penalty in 1978. Newsom had already imposed a moratorium on executions in 2019. What changes is permanence: a future governor can lift a moratorium, but cannot easily undo a commutation.

The catch is that CalMatters, as cited by BBC, reports at least four of the seven California Supreme Court justices must sign off on the commutations. That requirement applies to inmates with more than one felony conviction, according to earlier reporting by The Marshall Project. Until the court acts, the status of those cases is not fully settled, and we have not seen the court's response.

Why it is news beyond California

California has historically had the largest death row in the nation. The decision comes as executions are rising elsewhere: BBC notes three were scheduled for Thursday in Indiana, Florida and Alabama, and a botched execution in Tennessee in late September drew national attention. Newsom is also widely discussed as a possible 2028 presidential candidate; Columbia law professor Bernard Harcourt told BBC that a candidate taking an abolitionist stance ahead of a race is not unprecedented. Anthony Romero of the ACLU praised the move.

The money angle

BBC says experts estimate ending the system could save millions of dollars a year in court costs. We did not find an official figure in the reporting we read, so treat that as an expert estimate, not a budget number. For California taxpayers, the practical question is how much of the capital-case legal apparatus, such as appeals and specialized defense and prosecution work, winds down once sentences are reduced.

What to watch

• Whether the California Supreme Court approves the commutations that require its sign-off, and how fast.
• Reaction from prosecutors and victims' families; Newsom himself acknowledged the decision will anger some Californians.
• Whether Xavier Becerra, projected by BBC to succeed Newsom, takes any position on the issue.

Sources: BBC News; Reuters, NBC News and AP headlines; The Marshall Project. Developing story; figures are as reported Nov. 5, 2026.