Published November 14, 2026 · By
The Newsom death row plan drew a sharp response from President Donald Trump on Saturday, Nov. 14, when he called California Gov. Gavin Newsom's move to commute the state's death sentences a blow to justice and said he hoped it would be overturned. Newsom announced on Nov. 5 that he intends to change the sentences of 548 people on California's death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole, a step that still needs approval from the California Supreme Court for most of them.
The Newsom death row clash puts a state clemency decision at the center of a national political debate just weeks before Newsom leaves office. Here is what happened, what each side said, what the courts must decide and what it means for you.
Newsom Death Row Commutations: What the Governor Did
In an open letter released Nov. 5 and in a notice to the California Supreme Court the same day, Newsom said he would commute the death sentences of 548 state prisoners, 529 men and 19 women, according to Newsweek. Their sentences would become life without parole. CalMatters, citing the Death Penalty Information Center, described it as the largest mass clemency in U.S. history, covering more than a quarter of the nation's condemned prisoners.
Under the Newsom death row plan, the governor's office said, no one would be released, pardoned or made eligible for parole. Convictions and restitution orders stay in place, and the death penalty itself remains on the books, so prosecutors may still seek it in new cases. "These offenders will die in prison but not by our hand," Newsom wrote in the letter, as quoted by CalMatters.
Newsom also said in the letter that he believes state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California's values. He said he had considered different categories of crimes and offenders before deciding. The full letter and the list of intended recipients are posted on the governor's official website.
How the Newsom death row plan differs from 2019
In March 2019, Newsom signed an executive order that paused executions and closed the execution chamber at San Quentin. That order left every death sentence intact. California has not carried out an execution since 2006. Voters rejected ballot measures to repeal capital punishment in 2012 and 2016. The new Newsom death row action goes further than the moratorium because it would change the sentences themselves.
What Trump Said About the Newsom Death Row Plan
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump referred to Newsom by a derisive nickname and said the Newsom death row decision was a "disaster for Justice in America," Newsweek reported. He wrote that many of the people involved had killed repeatedly and argued that the governor should have let the legal system run its course.
Trump also said victims' families were devastated and that he hoped the move would be reversed. His post referred to 563 inmates. Newsweek noted that the figure does not match the 548 people named by the governor's office. The National Desk, which also reported the post, said the state's own materials list 548 recipients.
Justice Department reaction
U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche addressed the move earlier in the week at an unrelated Justice Department briefing, according to Newsweek. He called it unfortunate and compared it to former President Joe Biden's December 2024 decision to commute 37 of 40 federal death sentences. He also acknowledged that state law differs from federal law and that most governors hold clemency power.
Prosecutors and Victims' Groups Plan Challenges
Opposition to the Newsom death row commutations has also come from inside California. The Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, led by former prosecutor Anne Marie Schubert, held a news conference with prosecutors and victims' relatives and said it would pursue every available legal challenge before the state Supreme Court. Schubert told CalMatters she viewed the move as a serious violation of victims' rights and said families were not notified in advance.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office would help challenge what he called an arbitrary blanket commutation that disregards voters, juries and judges, Newsweek reported. San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson said the law still allows prosecutors to seek death and argued that one official had effectively overridden it. Prosecutors in Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange and San Bernardino counties have said they will continue to seek death sentences in some cases.
Topo Padilla, president of Crime Victims United, said no governor should undo a sentence handed down by a jury and approved by a judge on the basis of personal beliefs, according to CalMatters.
Supporters Point to Bias Concerns
Supporters of the Newsom death row move have pointed to long-running concerns about how capital punishment is applied. In earlier court filings quoted by CalMatters, Newsom argued that racial bias has influenced death sentences in California. A separate lawsuit brought by the NAACP, the ACLU and the Office of the State Public Defender argues that the state's death penalty violates anti-discrimination protections in the California Constitution. The state Supreme Court let that case proceed in August, and a Sacramento County court is now hearing evidence.
Natasha Minsker of the California Anti-Death Penalty Coalition said most district attorneys understand that the death penalty has failed, CalMatters reported. Some relatives of murder victims also backed the Newsom death row change, saying execution does not help survivors heal. Michael Romano, who directs the Three Strikes Project at Stanford Law School, told CalMatters he believes no one will be executed in California again.
Looking ahead, Newsom's successor, Gov.-elect Xavier Becerra, has said he would keep the moratorium in place and would not carry out executions while in office, according to CalMatters.
What Happens Next in the Courts
The Newsom death row commutations have not taken effect. Under the California Constitution, a governor needs a recommendation from at least four of the seven state Supreme Court justices before granting clemency to anyone with more than one felony conviction. Newsweek put that group at 382 of the 548 people. The rest can be commuted without the court's sign-off.
Newsom, who is term-limited, has asked the court to act before he leaves office in January, Newsweek reported. No decision date has been set. The California Courts Newsroom confirmed that the governor notified the court of his plan on Nov. 5. Opponents have filed motions seeking to unseal case records, and San Bernardino County alone has 31 cases that require high court review.
For context on how the U.S. Supreme Court is handling a separate high-profile dispute involving executive power, see our coverage of the Supreme Court asylum case. Governors elsewhere are also preparing for transitions, as in our report on Texas Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa.
What It Means for You
For most Californians, the Newsom death row decision will not change daily life, but it touches several areas residents may care about. Here is a practical summary based on the reporting.
If you are a California voter
The death penalty remains part of state law, and voters have twice declined to repeal it. The commutations apply only to people already sentenced. Any permanent change to the law itself would require action by voters or the Legislature.
If you are a victim's family member
Newsom's office has said it is working to notify victims and next of kin. Families who want information about a specific case can contact the district attorney's office that prosecuted it or the state's victim services offices.
If you follow state spending
Most of the 548 people were still waiting for appointed appellate or habeas lawyers, CalMatters reported, a sign of how long capital appeals take. None of the sources reviewed for this article gave a dollar estimate for the savings or costs tied to the Newsom death row plan, so any claims about the budget effect should be checked against official figures when they are released.
Our analysis: what to watch
This section is our own analysis. The key questions about the Newsom death row plan are whether at least four state Supreme Court justices approve the cases that need their recommendation, and whether that happens before Newsom's term ends. Legal challenges from prosecutors and victims' groups, and the separate racial-bias lawsuit, could also shape the outcome. Federal officials have criticized the move, but clemency for state sentences is generally a state matter.
This article is for information only and is not legal or financial advice.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Announced: Nov. 5, 2026, in an open letter and a notice to the California Supreme Court
- People affected: 548 (529 men, 19 women)
- New sentence: life in prison without the possibility of parole
- Court approval needed: about 382 cases involving more than one felony conviction
- Trump's response: a Truth Social post on Nov. 14 urging that the decision be overturned
Sources: Newsweek; The National Desk; CalMatters; California Courts Newsroom; Office of the Governor of California (gov.ca.gov).
