For proper citation: Stephen A. Cooper, “ Gavin Newsom’s Moral Imperative: Commute All of California’s Death Sentences,” Jurist, October 31, 2023.

It is therefore imperative for the state to go beyond partial amnesties and consider a blanket commutation of all death sentences to life imprisonment.

With the stroke of his pen, California Governor Gavin Newsom could have a significant impact on the death penalty across the US.