Rounding up some commentary on Gov Newsom's formal halting of executions in California

Given that there were no executions in California during the second term of Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger or during the two terms of Gov Jerry Brown, I was not expecting to see California's execution chamber suddenly getting a lot of use once Gavin Newsom took over.  But, as reported here, just two months into office, Gov Newsom formalize matters by ordering an "executive moratorium ... in the forms of a reprieve for all people sentenced to death in California."  Here is a smattering of commentary about this move:

• From The Atlantic, "Will the U.S. Finally End the Death Penalty?: In the past, abolition efforts faced a backlash—but Gavin Newsom’s moratorium may be different."

• "From the Mercury News, "Newsom move effectively ends death penalty in US: The closing of California’s death row, America’s largest, has more than just symbolic importance"

• From the Los Angeles Times, "Politicians don’t normally overrule voters. On the death penalty, Gavin Newsom just did"

• From The National Review, "Gavin Newsom's Death-Penalty Overreach"

• From the San Diego Union-Tribune, "How Newsom is ignoring California voters with death penalty reprieve"

• From the San Diego Union-Tribune, "How Newsom is leading California forward on the death penalty"

• From the San Francisco Forum, "Gov. Newsom’s death penalty moratorium undercuts the voters’ will"