California Gov. Gavin Newsom Moves to Eliminate All Death Row Sentences

CALIFORNIA GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM MOVES TO ELIMINATE ALL DEATH ROW SENTENCES — California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he will commute the death sentences of all 548 inmates on the state’s death row to life in prison without parole. The move follows his 2019 moratorium on executions, which California has not carried out since 2006. However, roughly 70% of the commutations require California Supreme Court approval. The decision does not officially abolish the death penalty in California and has drawn criticism from victims’ families and prosecutors.