Gavin Newsom takes historic action on 548 death row inmates in California, but the state Supreme Court must weigh in

California Governor Gavin Newsom is taking an unprecedented step that could change the sentences of more than 500 people on death row. The Democrat announced that he intends to commute 548 death sentences to life in prison without the possibility of parole, although hundreds of those cases still require approval from the state Supreme Court, according to The Associated Press.

Newsom explained his decision in a public letter, saying he believes capital punishment conflicts with California’s values and undermines the foundations of its legal system. “I take this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values, undermines the foundations of our legal system, and diminishes each of us,” he wrote.

The announcement comes as Newsom prepares to leave office after eight years. He has opposed the death penalty throughout his time as governor and imposed a moratorium on executions in 2019, effectively halting executions in the state during his administration.

California Supreme Court must approve hundreds of the commutations

Citing the figures provided by Newsom’s office, the outlet reported that the clemency decision covers 529 men and 19 women currently sentenced to death in California. However, the governor cannot independently approve every commutation.

Under the state constitution, the California Supreme Court must approve clemency for people convicted of more than one felony. That requirement applies to 382 of the 548 cases, meaning roughly 70% of the proposed commutations need the court’s approval before they can take effect.

The Death Penalty Information Center described the move as the largest mass clemency action in American history. If all 548 commutations are approved, the decision would reduce the country’s death row population by nearly 30%, according to the organization.

California has long had a complicated relationship with capital punishment. Voters upheld the death penalty in ballot measures in both 2012 and 2016, despite the state’s long-running debate over whether executions should continue. No one has been executed in California since 2006, and the state has the largest death row population in the Western Hemisphere, according to Death Penalty Information.

Among the people currently sentenced to death in California are Richard Allen Davis, who kidnapped and murdered 12-year-old Polly Klaas in 1993 (per the Sonoma County District Attorney) and serial killer Randy Kraft, known as the “Scorecard Killer.” Newsom’s decision does not mean all 548 sentences will automatically change. The California Supreme Court must still consider the hundreds of cases requiring its approval, leaving the final outcome dependent on the legal process.