California Dem Gov Newsom commutes all 548 death sentences in state to life in prison without parole

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he has commuted all 548 death sentences in the state to life in prison without parole.

The governor claimed the decision comes after 30 years in public service and that he is doing so because he believes that “state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with” the Golden State's values.

“State-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values, undermines the foundations of our legal system and diminishes each of us,” Newsom wrote in an open letter to California residents. “I know we cannot execute people in our imperfect legal system and remain true to our core values, first among them justice and human decency.”

The move, which comes near the end of his final term in the governor's mansion, will impact all 548 people on death row, which is the “largest death row in the Western Hemisphere.”

“This decision is among the most difficult of my career, not because I doubt its necessity for our state but because I know its announcement may surface excruciating memories for victims’ families,” Newsom said. “I hold this painful truth along with the belief that this is a righteous action.”

The move comes after the governor imposed a moratorium on executions at the start of his first term in 2019. The state has not executed any inmate since 2006.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.