SoCal Prosecutors Back Challenge to Newsom Commutation of Death Sentences
The move replaces execution with life without parole and has drawn praise from civil-rights leaders and criticism from victims’ families and law enforcement.
- Governor Gavin Newsom commuted all 548 death sentences in California to life in prison without parole last week, citing the practice as "incompatible with California's values."
- Following his 2019 execution moratorium, Newsom's sweeping order now faces legal challenges from critics who argue he bypassed the required individual review process for each death row inmate.
- Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman and Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer joined the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation in challenging the decision, claiming it "disregards the will of California voters, juries and judges."
- Crime victims' families including Brenda van Dam and Steve Herr expressed deep pain, with van Dam warning the decision could put children at risk and Herr recounting his son's dismemberment.
- The California Supreme Court requested legal briefs by November 24 as debate persists over whether Newsom's action reflects moral conviction or a strategic move ahead of a potential presidential bid.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Cal Matters
What’s the future of the death penalty in California after Newsom’s clemency?
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s commutations of death sentences marked how far California has changed on criminal justice over three decades. Yet the death penalty remains part of a contradictory status quo.
Newsom’s commutations request invokes victims’ praise, anguish as prosecutors vow to sue
Two competing camps of victims’ rights advocates have emerged to pressure Gov. Gavin Newsom as the California Supreme Court weighs his request to grant blanket commutation to the 548 people on death row before he leaves office in two months.…
LA Daily News
OC RegisterSouthern California prosecutors back legal challenge to Newsom’s commutation of death sentences
A nonprofit public-interest advocacy group filed the challenge, and it was backed by groups representing crime victims, law enforcement agencies, district attorneys and probation officers.
Spitzer Vows to Fight Governor's Death Row Commutations
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer Thursday announced at a news conference with relatives of murder victims that his office is planning to file a motion Monday challenging Gov. Gavin Newsom’s commutation of death row prisoners to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Spitzer’s intended legal challenge comes as the nonprofit Criminal Justice […]
MICHAEL RUIZ: DA identifies 49 local killers slated for Newsom's death row clemency — and their crimes
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer highlights serial killers and cop killers among death row inmates after Gavin Newsom called for blanket clemency in California.
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