Washington, DC (Nov. 5, 2026) – The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) commends California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announced decision to commute the sentences of all people on California’s death row, changing the sentences of some 548 individuals to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The move covers what the governor has called the largest death row in the Western Hemisphere. The New York Times described it as the largest mass commutation of death sentences in modern American history, surpassing the 167 sentences commuted by Illinois Gov. George Ryan in 2003.
Under California law, a governor may act alone on clemency for people convicted in only one felony case, but the state Supreme Court must approve clemency for those convicted in multiple felony cases. According to the governor’s office, the court must approve 382 of the commutations, roughly 70 percent, for them to take effect. California has not carried out an execution since 2006, and Gov. Newsom has maintained a moratorium on executions since 2019.
“Gov. Newsom has made a decision of historic moral clarity and courage,” said NACDL President C. Melissa “Missy” Owen. “NACDL opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and supports reforms to ensure that innocent persons are not executed. Purely retributive in nature, and not shown by countless studies to deter crime, the death penalty is unjust, uncivilized, and inconsistent with the fallibility of our justice system. Clemency exists so that mercy can check the harshest excesses of our criminal legal system, and this governor has used it at a scale few leaders have been willing to match. We urge the California Supreme Court to reject any challenge and act promptly on the commutations before it, and we urge Gov. Newsom’s successor, Xavier Becerra, to keep his commitment to maintain the state’s moratorium on executions.”
“The death penalty is a stain on our criminal legal system, a machine that is irreversible, arbitrary, and steeped in economic and racial bias,” said NACDL Executive Director Lisa M. Wayne. “Innocent people have been sentenced to die in this country. That should end the debate. We thank Gov. Newsom for having the courage to act, and we say to every governor and legislator in every other state that still authorizes executions: the question is no longer whether you will follow California’s lead, but how many more lives you are willing to risk before you do.”
Contacts
Jonathan Hutson, NACDL Senior Director of Public Affairs and Communications, 202-480-5343 or jhutson@nacdl.org
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is the preeminent organization advancing the mission of the criminal defense bar to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or wrongdoing. A professional bar association founded in 1958, NACDL's many thousands of direct members in 28 countries – and 90 state, provincial and local affiliate organizations totaling up to 40,000 attorneys – include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, military defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness and promoting a rational and humane criminal legal system.
