clemency

In addition, the state Supreme Court has regularly approved gubernatorial clemency decisions.

From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2026

"I have concluded that attempting to distinguish among crimes and offenders for clemency would inadvertently create two classes of murder victims -- those whose perpetrators deserve the death penalty and then the rest," Newsom said.

From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026

Newsom said he considered not granting clemency to those that committed “the ‘worst of the worst’ crimes,” but decided against it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

The high court previously rejected 10 clemency cases without much clarification when Gov. Jerry Brown submitted them in 2018 months before he left office.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

We are still pursuing clemency for Trina Garnett, who is serving her life sentence in Pennsylvania, a state that doesn't recognize her right to resentencing despite the Supreme Court ruling.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

And even then, the state Supreme Court will have a say in the majority of these clemencies, since Newsom needs their approval in cases where there are repeat felonies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

Wood’s commutation was one of only two clemencies granted to death row inmates in 2025, out of 47 total executions—a record high year in the United States.

From Slate ● Mar. 6, 2026

Those clemencies came on top of the commutation awarded last month to George Santos, the disgraced former New York congressman found guilty of defrauding donors and lying to the House of Representatives.

From Salon ● Nov. 13, 2025

A day later, top officials at the agency celebrated several people who have received pardons and clemencies in recent years, characterizing their long sentences for nonviolent drug crimes as harsh and unfair.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 22, 2023

Yet there was resentment, too, against Greenleaf's clemencies.

From Kincaid's Battery by Alonzo Kimball