The Supreme Court today cleared the way for Governor Gavin Newsom to commute the long prison sentence of Cedric Pierce. Pierce was sentenced to 40 years to life for robbery as a third strike with firearm and prior felony enhancements. His prior felonies were robbery, attempted robbery, and false imprisonment.
Because of Pierce’s multiple felony convictions, Supreme Court consent was a state constitutional prerequisite to a sentence commutation. Newsom asked for that consent last month. In a cover letter at the time, his deputy legal affairs secretary said the commutation “would make Mr. Pierce eligible for an earlier parole suitability hearing.”
Just yesterday, the Governor added two more clemency recommendation requests to the court’s docket.
[March 29, 2020 update: Governor Newsom commuted Pierce’s sentence on March 27, 2020, along with 25 other clemency grants.]