California death row emptied: Newsom commutes 548 death sentences to life without parole

California Governor Gavin Newsom is sparing all 548 prisoners awaiting execution in the state, changing their sentences to life in prison without the chance of parole.

In an open letter, Newsom said state executions do not fit California's values. The state has not executed anyone in 20 years, but has spent about $6 billion on the death penalty since 1978 while carrying out only 13 executions.

The move is described as the biggest mass clemency in American history and will reduce the number of people on death row across the US by almost 30 per cent. About two-thirds of the cases must still be reviewed by the California Supreme Court because those prisoners have several felony convictions.

Death penalty opponents welcomed the decision. Most Americans still support capital punishment for murder, according to a Pew poll in August, and the Trump administration has promised to expand federal executions.

Newsom, whose term ends in January 2027, is widely seen as a possible presidential candidate.