Democrat’s move prevents these people from executions under future governors, after Christa Pike’s failed execution

Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, has commuted the death sentences of more than 500 people on the state’s death row on Thursday, a move that ensures they can never be executed under future administrations.

The Democrat’s mass commutation at the end of his term has converted all of the state’s death sentences to life without the possibility of parole, the largest clearing of any US death row in modern history.

The move comes after the failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee sparked global outrage and renewed calls for a nationwide pause on capital punishment.

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[–] 120 points 4 days ago* (6 children)

Between this and Vance distancing himself from Trump, I guess posturing for the 2028 presidential election is now in full swing.

Nearly any other Democrat would be better than Newsom.

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  • [–] 38 points 4 days ago* (4 children)

    [... any other Democrat would be better than Newsom].
    Message received. Get ready for Schumer 2028!

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  • [–] 52 points 4 days ago (18 children)

    Broken clock something something

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  • [–] -3 points 4 days ago (9 children)

    I'm no American but I think maybe he's just not rotten to the core or inherently evil and actually just doesn't like the death penalty very much. It's a pretty low bar, after all.

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  • [–] 12 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

    He's a 90s Republican, before the exponential plunge into fascism. This is how they behaved domestically.

    Pre-MAGA Republicans toyed with (and continue to toy with) fascism since at least Reagan though.

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  • [–] 6 points 4 days ago (5 children)

    Well considering that there's actually a moratorium on the death penalty in California and none of these people were going to be executed, I think this is more performative than anything else.

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  • [+] -6 points 4 days ago* (6 children)

    "is right twice a day" is the next part

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  • [–] 12 points 4 days ago (3 children)
  • [–] 2 points 4 days ago (1 child)

    That one is still right once a day

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  • [–] 3 points 4 days ago

    You know, as long as we're talking about the cliche, one interesting thing to consider is that hand-set clocks are always slightly slow or slightly fast, so a properly functioning and calibrated clock isn't even right once a day.

    We have standard-setting atomic clocks, but due to the properties of relativity, it's impossible that they ever precisely match each other, no matter how accurate their mechanism, and so realistically, you can only possibly have one clock anywhere with the "right" time.

    So, if you're going by the most times it can be accurate during the day, but not the actual one standard clock, I think a clock that runs backwards as quickly as possible would have the most times during a day that it is accurate.

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  • [–] 41 points 4 days ago (5 children)

    And, with this announcement, Newsome 2028 has begun. 😅

    But, props where props are due. Death penalty gets handed out far too often and far too disproportionately, within a legal system that gets stuff wrong far too often.

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  • [–] 14 points 4 days ago (3 children)

    He nuked the billionaire tax...

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  • [–] 10 points 4 days ago (2 children)

    Oh, I’m not his fan girl. Just giving a nod for when someone does the right thing.

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  • This appears to a pretty rare case of Newsome doing something he sincerly believes in. His advisors were telling him not to do this because it polled poorly among general election voters in the US. This is also something that he has fairly consistantly done. After a ballot initiative passed to speed up executions and the court challenges expired he issued a morratorium on executions and took the state execution chamber apart.

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  • [–] 9 points 3 days ago (1 child)

    distraction from him trying to veto any recent bills, and being against the billionaire tax. hes aiming for 2028 presidency.

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  • [–] 17 points 4 days ago (19 children)

    I'm onboard with this. I'm not necessarily opposed to the death penalty, but our society has demonstrated again and again we are not applying this, the ultimate punishment, equally to everyone across our society. There are large class and race issues that appear to subject some groups to much greater death penalty judgments than other groups.

    Unequal justice is injustice. Ban the death penalty.

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  • [–] 16 points 4 days ago (2 children)

    I'm not necessarily opposed to the death penalty

    Everyone should be, for a very simple reason.

    It is permanent, there is no way to recover from it once completed.

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  • [–] 1 point 4 days ago

    I am against the death penalty, and for essentially the same reason, but I think, generally, you can't recover if you've been on death row or even just falsely imprisoned for years. If somebody's been imprisoned for 15 years and they turn out to be innocent, they can be released and compensated, but I don't know if they can really recover.

    That's why it's so important to be really certain when doling out any punishment.

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  • [–] 1 point 4 days ago

    I find it interesting that I start with my post about saying I support the banning the death penalty, and I close with the post with my support for banning the death penalty. Yet multiple people are clipping out both of those agreements to focus on the an intermediate disagreement.

    We arrive at the same conclusion to ban the death penalty, but you don't like the first reason why I want it banned. Why fight a battle that is already won?

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  • [–] 7 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 child)

    I'll try to say something a little more precise, I hope. I have limited sympthy for the individual fate of somebody who does some of the things that can get a person executed, but the death penalty itself is not a good thing.

    I just don't see the value in revenge, and as much as we all feel for victims, the reason you have society make these decisions is because you know victims and their families can't be objective. Maybe some of them will even really feel better, but the rest of us won't. The death penalty can only go wrong, either by being inequitably applied or literally dooming the wrong person to die with no way to salvage what's left of their lives if you learn of the mistake later. Or hell, with recent attempts, it can just literally go wrong and torture someone, maybe even without even killing them.

    Permanent removal from free society is more than sufficient for public safety and deterrence. More blood doesn't bring anyone's loved ones back; it just makes a community that much more grim for indulging its worst instincts.

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  • [–] 1 point 4 days ago (13 children)

    If you are not opposed to the death penalty you are not civilized, and you are OK with principles that are contrary to democracy.

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  • [–] 3 points 4 days ago (12 children)

    If you are not opposed to the death penalty

    Did you miss the part where I said "ban the death penalty"?

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  • [–] -1 points 4 days ago (9 children)

    You also said:

    I’m not necessarily opposed to the death penalty,

    So that's a little fucked up.

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  • [–] -2 points 4 days ago (7 children)

    It depends on what you mean. We should execute Trump, most of the high ranking officials in his administration, and all billionaires. I'd probably agree with anything else you said about the death penalty though.

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  • [–] 0 points 4 days ago (5 children)

    We should execute [insert any name here]

    No, we shouldn't.

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  • [–] 2 points 4 days ago (4 children)

    Ok, I disagree and that opinion is just as valid as yours

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  • [–] -2 points 4 days ago (3 children)

    I disagree and that opinion is just as valid as yours

    No, it isn't. Worldviews have consequences. The consequences of what you're espousing are an increase in murders and victims of murders, as well as a glorification of violence and death. Your worldview reinforces public bloodlust and disincentivizes rehabilitation. It gives credence to a broken system that's constantly hurting the innocent while enabling (not just ignoring but enabling) the guilty.

    Instead of crowing about how valid everyone else should think your opinion is, try having an opinion that's more than a thin justification for state sanctioned murder.

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  • [–] 2 points 4 days ago (2 children)

    None of what you just said invalidates my opinion. It's just you expounding on your own opinion.

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  • [–] -1 points 4 days ago (1 child)

    Instead of crowing about how valid everyone else should think your opinion is, try having an opinion that’s more than a thin justification for state sanctioned murder.

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  • [–] 3 points 4 days ago

    I don't care if you agree with my opinion. I've spent zero time trying to convince you of anything. All I'm saying is that you're presenting your own subjective opinion as if it is objective fact and that simply isn't true

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  • [–] 0 points 3 days ago

    Nope, we should not execute Trump, while he absolutely deserve to die, and I'll already have plans to celebrate when he is dead, we should not do the killing.

    There are several reasons for this:

    1. The state should never be in the business of killing it's own citizens, never no matter how terrible the person is.
    2. It would turn him into a martyr and give his people a powerful symbol to rally behind, this will still happen regardless of how he dies, but actively killing him would make it way, way worse.
    3. It would be too easy of a punishment, it is far harsher for a person to be put in a prison like ADX Florence, and have to live in complete isolation than just killing him.
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  • [–] -2 points 4 days ago (1 child)

    You wrote:

    I’m not necessarily opposed to the death penalty

    Didn't read beyond that, because saying that, it's unlikely you have anything valuable to say.

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  • [–] 2 points 4 days ago

    Didn’t read beyond that, it’s unlikely you have anything valuable to say.

    Wow. Its not often someone tells on themselves so clearly, but I appreciate that you did. I know exactly how much concern to give your posts now and in the future!

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  • [–] 2 points 3 days ago

    Broken clock something something.

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  • [–] 2 points 4 days ago* (14 children)

    the largest death row in the western hemisphere

    Shame on you California and USA, California is often promoted as more progressive than most of USA. But this is barbaric medieval practice and is against democratic principles. This point alone would make USA or California alone far away from being eligible for EU membership.
    USA is not a civilized society, it's a barbaric society of violence and extremism.

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  • [–] 31 points 4 days ago* (2 children)

    FWIW, they haven't actually executed anyone there in twenty years, and Newsom issued a moratorium when he took office in 2019. In typical Newsom fashion, he's playing it for maximal media attention, but this is not some huge change for California.

    As for the rest of the US, feel free to pile it on. Capital punishment erodes the soul of a nation, and the more you use it, the worse the corrosion.

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  • [–] 8 points 4 days ago

    FWIW, they haven’t actually executed anyone there in twenty years,

    I know, but it's still torture to be on death row, and practices can change, as long as the death penalty is used in courts, there's a risk you may actually at some point get executed.
    It's not only the act itself that is barbaric.

    I 100% agree with your last part, we have a saying here, "vold avler vold" which translates to violence breeds violence.
    The more violence you allow the public to use against citizens, the more violence there will be in that society.
    And USA is an extreme case in that regard, and has way more violence than countries USA is normally compared with.
    Death penalty, three strikes, police violence, and lack of gun control are all huge parts of this.

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  • [–] 8 points 4 days ago (10 children)

    It might be the largest because of how long and thorough the process is or even it could just be not advertising carried out. I'm positive Texas and Florida have much smaller death rows because they whip through them.

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  • [+] -7 points 4 days ago* (9 children)

    There is no process, when you are on Death row, it's because a court has given you the death penalty. It's just not executed.
    Being on Death Row is torture!!

    Why are you making excuses for the death penalty??

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  • [–] 5 points 3 days ago (1 child)

    That's just not true. Receiving a death sentence triggers an automatic appeals process because of how often things are gotten wrong. The state can absolutely tie that up. There is also just all the logistics involved that they can also tie up.

    I'm absolutely not defending the death penalty. I'm very much against the death penalty. I'm explaining why having a large backlog could be precisely because California is more progressive and deliberately slows things down unlike some other states. Just a hypothetical this could be the reason. California was one of the first states to pass a "three strikes law", which is another awful sentencing scheme.

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  • [–] 0 points 3 days ago

    That’s just not true. Receiving a death sentence triggers an automatic appeals process because of how often things are gotten wrong.

    OK that's true, but not many get off, so that can never explain why California has the longest death row.

    I’m absolutely not defending the death penalty. I’m very much against the death penalty.

    On that we agree then.

    I’m explaining why having a large backlog could be precisely because California is more progressive

    I don't consider California as progressive in this regard, they may be slightly less extreme that's all. Sitting on death row is torture, and you could get executed if the next governor is an ass. Also having the death penalty without executing is very likely to make court less uncomfortable giving a death sentence. Meaning California could have a higher rate of verdicts that include the death penalty.
    So I reiterate, that even without executing people, the death penalty is against both human rights and democratic principles.

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  • [–] 8 points 4 days ago (6 children)

    They were not even remotely doing that.

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  • [+] -8 points 4 days ago (5 children)

    They literally were, and it's in the article. You are not on death row without having received the death penalty.

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  • [–] 8 points 4 days ago (4 children)

    Nothing to do with what they said. They were talking about California's being the largest and why. They didn't defend the death penalty whatsoever. And they never even remotely implied you could be on death row without getting the death penalty.

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  • [–] -4 points 4 days ago (3 children)

    Where do I claim any of that?

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  • [–] 6 points 4 days ago (2 children)

    The two comments I replied to? Right above this? Do you not recall? Are you feeling okay?

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  • [–] -2 points 3 days ago (1 child)

    They were not even remotely doing that.

    Then you'll have to explain what you meant by that? Because apparently that's not clear.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

    No, it's pretty clear. You certainly understood in your first reply. I don't know why you are pretending now. Nobody else in this thread was confused.

    I'm not really interested in going down this Rabbit Hole of self-deception you are building so I'm just going to ignore anything else you say from now on. Maybe touch some grass.

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  • [–] 0 points 4 days ago

    So transparent

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