California Governor Gavin Newsom has commuted the death sentences of all 548 people on the state's death row, converting them to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Newsom announced the decision in a letter, invoking his constitutional clemency authority. "After nearly 30 years in public office, I have come to understand the limits of what government can justly accomplish," he wrote.

"I take this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California's values, undermines the foundations of our legal system and diminishes each of us," Newsom said.

The governor described the move as a difficult but "righteous action," acknowledging that many Californians believe those who commit brutal crimes deserve to die. He said, however, that he has concluded "the state cannot morally kill them."

Newsom said California's system for administering the death penalty "is a failure" by every measure, arguing it cannot be fairly applied and has resulted in the conviction of innocent people. He stated that life without the possibility of parole is the most severe punishment he can lawfully impose and that the state can ethically enforce.

"As Governor, I alone bear responsibility for this decision and its impact, just as I alone would bear responsibility for each execution," he wrote. "For this reason I am compelled to follow my conscience and, as authorised by our Constitution, take this action for the welfare of the State of California."

He acknowledged the decision "will anger and hurt some Californians" and said it will "always weigh heavily on me."

The move is largely symbolic in practical terms. California has not executed a prisoner since 2006, and only 13 inmates have been executed since voters reinstated the death penalty in 1978. Experts say the commutations could nonetheless save millions of dollars in court costs each year.

California has historically had the largest death row population in the United States. Newsom had previously ordered a moratorium on executions in the state in 2019.

Newsom said he wanted those on death row to "die in obscurity while we forever remember and honour the victims."

The governor is in the final months of his tenure, term-limited from seeking re-election. He has been discussed as a potential Democratic contender for the 2028 presidential race.

At the federal level, President Donald Trump has long supported capital punishment, describing it as "an essential tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit the most heinous crimes and acts of lethal violence against American citizens." During his first term, he ended a nearly two-decade federal moratorium on executions, ordering 13 executions over a six-month period in 2020. On the first day of his second term in 2025, Trump signed an executive order reinstating the federal death penalty. No federal executions have been carried out since.

In the United States, both the federal government and individual state authorities hold the power to order executions.