Resolution criteria

This market resolves to YES if at least one individual is formally sentenced to death by a California state court between January 1, 2027, and December 31, 2027 (inclusive, Pacific Time). Otherwise, it resolves to NO. The resolution does NOT depend on whether an actual execution takes place.

Resolution will be determined by official state reporting or tracking organizations:

• Reputable media coverage citing verified California Superior Court sentencing orders.

• The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Condemned Inmate Reports

• The Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) Sentencing Database and Annual Reports

Notes & Edge Cases:

• The resolution depends strictly on the imposition of a death sentence during calendar year 2027, not on whether an execution takes place.

• Sentences issued in California by federal courts (under federal jurisdiction) do not count toward resolution.

• If a defendant is found death-eligible or a jury recommends death in 2027, but the formal judicial sentencing order is not entered until 2028 or later, that case does not count for 2027.

• A resentencing to death of an individual previously on death row counts if the formal order is entered in 2027.

Background

Although California has maintained an executive moratorium on executions since Governor Gavin Newsom signed Executive Order N-09-19 in March 2019, capital punishment remains legal under California state law. Consequently, prosecutors retain the discretion to pursue capital charges, and juries and judges can still hand down death sentences.

New death sentences in California have declined sharply compared to the late 1990s (when over 40 sentences per year were common), but trials continue occasionally to yield capital sentences, primarily concentrated in counties such as Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange. In November 2026, Governor Newsom announced broad commutations for condemned prisoners on death row, but this executive action did not abolish the statute itself, meaning trial courts remain legally permitted to issue new death sentences unless the law is overturned by the judiciary or repealed by state voters.