I was a deputy state AG and Gavin Newsoms pompous death-row commutations betray an entire process of justice
On Thursday, Gov.Gavin Newsom announced that he intends to commute the death sentences of all 548 prisoners on California’s death row to life imprisonment without parole.His explanation was remarkable.Executions, he declared, are incompatible with California’s values, undermine the foundations of our legal system and diminish every Californian.
He invoked justice and human decency, describing his decision as necessary and righteous.Whose values? Whose conception of justice? The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.Please provide a valid email.
By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story And by what authority does the governor presume to speak for the conscience of every Californian?California voters rejected abolition of the death penalty in 2012 and again in 2016.
In that second election, they also approved Proposition 66, intended to expedite capital proceedings.Newsom is entitled to disagree with those decisions.
But he cannot plausibly claim that his personal opposition to capital punishment represents an established consensus among California’s citizens.I served for many years in the California Attorney General’s Office, which represents the state in all capital appeals.I know what it takes to impose a death sentence and sustain it through judicial review.Capital punishment is not imposed casually.
Jurors hear extensive evidence, including aggravating and mitigating circumstances, before deciding whether a defendant should live or die.Their judgments are reviewed automatically by the California Supreme Court, frequently followed by years of additional habeas corpus challenges.Consider some of the people whose sentences Newsom proposes to commute.Randy Kraft was convicted of murdering 16 young men in a series of crimes involving sexual violence, torture and mutilation.Isauro Aguirre was sentenced to death for the prolonged to...