Newsom commutes all 548 California death sentences to life without parole

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on November 5, 2026 that he will commute the death sentences of all 548 people on the state's death row to life in prison without parole, emptying the largest death row in the Western Hemisphere. California has not carried out an execution since 2006, and Newsom placed a moratorium on executions in 2019. The Death Penalty Information Center calls it the largest mass clemency in U.S. history.

Nearly 400 of the commutations, for people with more than one felony conviction, need approval from the California Supreme Court. The move does not repeal the death penalty, and a victims' group plans to challenge it in court.