Newsom reportedly weighing commuting all 563 California death sentences
The New York Times reported, citing unnamed people, that Gov. Gavin Newsom is seriously considering commuting the sentences of all 563 inmates on California's death row before leaving office in January. No decision has been announced.
Updated (version 2). Rewritten with the latest reporting.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2California Gov. Gavin Newsom is seriously considering commuting the sentences of all 563 inmates on the state's death row before he leaves office in January, according to a New York Times report relayed by Newsweek and the New York Post. NewsweekN “California Governor Gavin Newsom is seriously weighing whether to commute the sentences of the hundreds of inmates on death row in the state before leaving office in January, according to a new report.” Read at Newsweek ↗ New York PostR “California Gov. Gavin Newsom is considering whether to spare 563 inmates from the death penalty as one of his final acts before leaving office in January.” Read at New York Post ↗ Centre · 1Newsweek, citing the Times and unnamed people familiar with the talks, said Newsom has weighed the move for months but stepped up conversations with advisers after the failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee last week. NewsweekN “Newsom has been considering the move for months but stepped up conversations with advisers after the failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee last week” Read at Newsweek ↗ Right · 1The Post, also citing the Times, described the Pike execution as botched, saying two doses of pentobarbital failed to kill her, and said pressure on Newsom for a mass commutation was growing even before it. New York PostR “went horribly wrong when two doses of the highly potent sedative Pentobarbital failed to kill her”“Pressure was growing for the governor to enact a mass death row commutation even before the Pike incident” Read at New York Post ↗
Mixed · 2Newsom, a Democrat and longtime opponent of capital punishment, imposed a moratorium on executions in 2019, and California has not carried out an execution since 2006 despite having the nation's largest death row. NewsweekN “California, which has the nation’s largest death row population, has not carried out an execution since 2006.” Read at Newsweek ↗ New York PostR “Newsom himself introduced the state’s moratorium through an executive order in 2019.” Read at New York Post ↗ Mixed · 2Newsweek adds that he ordered the dismantling of the state's death row in 2022, and says commuting all 563 sentences would be the largest clearing of a death row in modern U.S. history; the Post says it could cut the national condemned population by more than a quarter. NewsweekN “ordered the dismantling of California’s death row in 2022”“would mark the biggest clearing of a death row in modern U.S. history” Read at Newsweek ↗ New York PostR “A mass commutation in California could slash the total number of condemned inmates across the country by more than a quarter.” Read at New York Post ↗ Right · 1The Post notes the California Supreme Court would have to approve commutations for people with multiple felony convictions. New York PostR “the California Supreme Court would have to approve commutations for people with multiple felony convictions” Read at New York Post ↗
Centre · 1On his podcast, This is Gavin Newsom, he asked attorney Bryan Stevenson, "Do I commute the largest death row in the Western Hemisphere?" Stevenson replied, "I think you do." Newsom also said he was hearing from people urging him not to, and asked what he would say to victims. NewsweekN ““I think you do,” Stevenson replied.”““But also the victims. What do you say?…What do I say to the victims?”” Read at Newsweek ↗ Mixed · 2No decision has been announced. Both outlets said they contacted Newsom's office; the Post said the office previously stated that Newsom "has been clear about his position on the death penalty since his first year in office." NewsweekN “The governor has not announced a decision” Read at Newsweek ↗ New York PostR ““Governor Newsom has been clear about his position on the death penalty since his first year in office, when he ordered a moratorium on executions.”” Read at New York Post ↗ Mixed · 2Both outlets link the decision to Newsom's possible 2028 presidential run. Amherst College professor Austin Sarat told Newsweek a mass commutation would be "one of the most important anti-death penalty acts ever taken in American history," while moderate Democratic strategist Matt Bennett told the Times that adding to Newsom's list of liberal actions "is probably not something he should be doing." NewsweekN “A mass commutation in California would be one of the most important anti-death penalty acts ever taken in American history.” Read at Newsweek ↗ New York PostR “Adding to the list is probably not something he should be doing.” Read at New York Post ↗
Mixed · 2The coverage names notorious inmates who could be affected: Newsweek profiles Richard Allen Davis, Aguirre, Naso, Ford, Salcido and Stayner; the Post names Davis, convicted in the kidnapping and murder of 12-year-old Polly Klaas, and Charles Ng, convicted of 11 first-degree murders. NewsweekN “Davis, 72, was sentenced to death for the 1993 kidnapping and murder of 12-year-old Polly Klaas.”“Aguirre, 46, was sentenced to death for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend’s 8-year-old son, Gabriel Fernandez, in Los Angeles.” Read at Newsweek ↗ New York PostR “serial killer Charles Ng, who was convicted of 11 first-degree murders” Read at New York Post ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Newsweek treats the report as a news hook for a profile of the state's most notorious death row inmates, with an expert quoted on the significance of a mass commutation.
- Emphasis
- Historic scale, Newsom's podcast remarks, victims' reactions, and case details of individual inmates.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the California Supreme Court approval requirement or the botched nature of the Pike execution in detail.
- Charged language
- “most infamous”“notorious”
- For example
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“Here, Newsweek looks at some of the most notorious inmates currently on California’s death row.” — Newsweek
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- The New York Post leads on the Pike execution failure and Newsom's political ambitions, presenting the clemency as a potential image-shaping move with a backlash risk.
- Emphasis
- The botched execution, 2028 presidential ambitions, backlash from pro-death-penalty areas, and named killers who could be spared.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not quote supporters of commutation beyond noting progressive praise; omits the 2022 death row dismantling order.
- Charged language
- “botched”“went horribly wrong”“slash”“notorious criminals”
- For example
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“The decision could influence the national public image of Newsom, who is eyeing a White House run in 2028.” — New York Post
“The governor appeared to struggle with the topic in a past episode of his podcast” — New York Post
What every side reports
- Newsom is reportedly considering commuting all 563 death sentences before leaving office in January.
- The report comes from the New York Times and followed the failed Christa Pike execution in Tennessee.
- California has not executed anyone since 2006 and Newsom imposed a moratorium in 2019.
- No decision has been announced.
Gavin Newsom person
Newsom has not announced a decision; he has publicly wrestled with the question on his podcast, and his office points to his record opposing the death penalty.
““I’m getting all those people in my ear: ‘Don’t do it. Don’t do it.’ Politics. That’s the best they can do,”” — Newsweek
““Governor Newsom has been clear about his position on the death penalty since his first year in office, when he ordered a moratorium on executions.”” — New York Post
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre1 article
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California's Most Infamous Death Row Inmates Amid Newsom Commutation Report
Neutral Explains the report and profiles notorious death row inmates, quoting an abolitionist scholar on its significance.
Right1 article
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Critical Frames the possible commutation around the botched Pike execution and Newsom's 2028 ambitions, with a note on political risk and the named killers who could be spared.
- 8 Oct 14:42 First NewsweekN California's Most Infamous Death Row Inmates Amid Newsom Commutation Report
- 8 Oct 19:38 +4h 56m New York PostR Gavin Newsom weighs taking 563 inmates off death row in California after botched Christa Pike execution
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.