A Time article explains Gavin Newsom's move to commute all 548 California death sentences to life without parole — the largest mass commutation in U.S. history, covering a quarter of the country's death row and going beyond the execution moratorium he set in 2019. The commutation is not automatic, with about 70% of cases requiring California Supreme Court review, and reactions split between victims' families, prosecutors, and anti-death penalty advocates as Newsom is expected to announce a 2028 presidential run.