Gov. Gavin Newsom has moved to clear death row in California before he leaves office.

He announced on Thursday that he plans to commute every death sentence to life in prison without parole in a decision affecting 548 inmates who are currently on death row in the state.

The move comes as Newsom, who is known for feuding with Donald Trump, prepares to conclude his eight-year tenure as governor. He enacted an execution moratorium in 2019 but hundreds of convicts remained condemned.

“I take this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values, undermines the foundations of our legal system, and diminishes each of us,” Newsom said in a letter.

Under the state constitution, approval from the California Supreme Court is required to grant clemency to anyone convicted of multiple felonies. California voters rejected a ballot measure in 2016 that would have repealed the death penalty in the state.

Newsom said the decision was among his hardest as governor and acknowledged that it will bring back painful memories for crime victims’ families.

“As Governor, I alone bear responsibility for this decision and its impact, just as I alone would bear responsibility for each execution,” Newsom wrote.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which is involved in an ongoing legal challenge to California’s death penalty statute, applauded the announcement.

“These commutations reflect what justice demands: an end to a racist, error-prone, and inhumane punishment that has burdened California for far too long,” said executive director Anthony Romero in a statement.

The ACLU is involved in an ongoing legal challenge to California’s death penalty statute, alleging it is racially discriminatory and unconstitutional.

What Newsom has said about a 2028 presidential run

Newsom, the 40th governor of California, is known for mocking Trump online, including with X posts written in all caps and riddled with spelling mistakes in an open mockery of Trump.

He’s long been considered a 2028 hopeful and has dominated prediction markets for months, peaking at 40 percent likelihood of being Democrats’ presidential nominee.

However, some analysts say his chances have since steadily declined.

Newsom said in September that he won’t run for president if former Vice President Kamala Harris runs a third time and that his children would have the final say on whether he takes on a 2028 presidential run.

“I wouldn’t run if she ran,” Newsom said. “Why would I? I wouldn’t do that to her. I wouldn’t do that to you. I wouldn’t waste everyone’s time.”

Asked to elaborate, Newsom said pitting two California Democrats against each other would force their shared base to choose between them, handing an advantage to the other candidates.

“Electorally, it’s a gift from God for everybody else. They’d enjoy the hell out of it — mutual assured destruction. It services no greater good,” Newsom said.

Newsom endorsed Harris when former President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential election.

He shares four children with his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom.

“I know what matters in life,” Newsom said. “I’ve got four kids. It’s the only thing that matters to me. They gotta be on board.”