[dropcap size=big]C[/dropcap]alifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order placing a moratorium on executions on Wednesday, giving all 737 inmates on California’s death row a reprieve from being executed, theoretically for as long as he’s in office.
The order is backed by a governor’s ability to commute death sentences. These are usually done individually, but on Wednesday, Gov. Newsom established a blanket moratorium. The move is reminiscent of Newsom’s then-bold move in 2004 to start issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples as mayor of San Francisco, well before gay unions became state and national law.
California is home to the largest death row in the United States, with 25 who have been convicted of murder and have exhausted their appeals, according to the L.A. Times. California hasn’t executed a prisoner since 2006 because of legal challenges to its chosen execution method, lethal injection.
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