Gavin Newsom commutes the death sentences of 548 murderers in California and thwarts the justice sought by the victims

Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he will commute the 548 death sentences currently in effect in the state, a decision that would prevent the execution of all those on death row and leave them serving life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Of that total, Newsom can directly commute the sentences of 166 inmates who have only a single felony conviction. However, the other 382 commutations first require a recommendation from the California Supreme Court, with at least four justices concurring, because the state Constitution imposes that requirement on those with two or more felony convictions. If the Court does not recommend the commutations before Newsom’s term ends, those 382 commutations will not take effect.

An unprecedented decision

California has one of the largest death rows in the world, with 548 people on death row. Although the state has not executed any inmates for two decades, the courts have continued to impose death sentences for murder and other serious crimes.

Newsom justified the measure by stating that the death penalty is "incompatible" with California's values. In a letter addressed to Californians, the governor argued that society is stronger when it rejects "state-sanctioned killing."

"Many Californians feel that those who commit brutal crimes deserve to die. But as governor, I have concluded the state cannot morally kill them," the governor said.

"These offenders will die in prison, but not by our hand," wrote Newsom, who described the decision as one of the most difficult of his career.

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"Two classes of murder victims": Newsom's argument

The decision has sparked strong opposition among those who view the death penalty as a legitimate tool of justice for perpetrators of the most heinous crimes. By commuting all sentences indiscriminately, Newsom eliminates any distinction between cases and nullifies the sentences imposed by courts and juries.

The governor defended this uniformity by arguing that "to distinguish among crimes and offenders for clemency would inadvertently create two classes of murder victims -- those whose perpetrators deserve the death penalty and then the rest."

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Criticism of the mass commutation

Marc Klaas, father of Polly Klaas, a 12-year-old girl who was abducted and murdered in 1993, told Fox News Digital that "baby killers, cop killers, spree killers and serial killers have all found an ally in Gavin Newsom." For his part, Topo Padilla, president of Crime Victims United, argued that "he or any person should undo the sentence rendered by a jury and signed off by a judge because of his personal beliefs or feelings."

In the legal arena, the former Sacramento district attorney and current CEO of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, Anne Marie Schubert, described the decision as "atrocious and disrespectful" and said "There’s 548 people on death row. That’s no less than 548 families that have been destroyed by what these people have done to their loved ones."

The California District Attorneys Association complained that the governor failed to give advance notice to prosecutors or the victims' families."With the stroke of a pen, Governor Newsom has disregarded the decisions of hundreds of jurors and judges, and the anguish of families who lost loved ones to the worst crimes imaginable," said the group's president, Jeannine M. Pacioni, in a statement.

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