California Governor Commutes 548 Death Sentences

Gov. Gavin Newsom used his constitutional clemency authority on Nov. 5 to commute all death sentences in California to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The decision affects 548 individuals on the state's death row.

In an open letter addressed to all Californians, Newsom stated that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with the state's values. He argued that the practice undermines the foundations of the legal system and diminishes the population.

The Death Penalty Information Center data indicates that California holds the largest death-row population in the nation, despite not carrying out an execution in more than 20 years. Newsom's action reduces the total U.S. death-row population by nearly 30%.

Newsom, who is leaving office in January, said he followed the moral leadership of past presidents and governors from various political parties. He noted that these leaders previously used executive authority to commute death sentences. He is widely viewed as a likely candidate for the 2028 presidential nomination.

Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, executive director of the Catholic Mobilizing Network, said in a Nov. 5 statement that the decision gives each individual a tangible sign of hope. She stated that the network believes in the God-given dignity of every person regardless of the harm caused or suffered. Vaillancourt Murphy expressed hope that other governors, including Mike DeWine in Ohio, Laura Kelly in Kansas, and Kay Ivey in Alabama, would follow the California example.

Kathleen Domingo, executive director of the California Catholic Conference, said the commutation aligns with the dignity of human persons. A Nov. 5 news release from the conference acknowledged the enduring impact of violent crime. Domingo stated that the conference continues to hold victims and their loved ones in prayer while welcoming the decision.

Sister Helen Prejean, a Sister of St. Joseph and author of Dead Man Walking, called the decision an answer to long-standing prayers. She said she has accompanied eight individuals to their deaths and is joined by hundreds of California faith leaders who called for the governor to choose justice through mercy. Newsom signed an executive order placing a moratorium on executions shortly after taking office in 2019.

The Catholic Church's official magisterium opposes capital punishment as a violation of the sanctity of human life. Pope Francis revised the Catechism in 2018 to declare the practice morally inadmissible in the modern world. In his 2020 encyclical Fratelli Tutti, he cited St. John Paul II's view that the death penalty is inadequate from a moral standpoint. Pope Leo XIV recently sent a video message to abolitionists marking 15 years since Illinois abolished the penalty.