Newsom moves to empty California's death row as 2028 looms

California Gov. Gavin Newsom's plan to commute all 548 death sentences to life without parole marks a historic shift in the state's approach to capital punishment, potentially emptying the nation's largest death row. This sweeping move, if executed, will be the largest mass commutation of death sentences in U.S. history, significantly reducing the national death-row population. The timing of this decision, coming in Newsom's final months as governor and ahead of a possible presidential run in 2028, underscores the political implications of his stance on the death penalty. This bold action could reshape national debates on capital punishment and influence future policy decisions across the country.