Newsom Pardons Former San Quentin Inmate Who Became Pulitzer Prize Finalist

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks in Los Angeles, on Sept. 25, 2024. Eric Thayer/AP Photo

California Gov. Gavin Newsom granted 19 pardons on Nov. 27, including one for a Pulitzer Prize finalist who spent more than two decades imprisoned at San Quentin State Prison.

Walter Earlonne Woods, who co-founded the “Ear Hustle” podcast—the first-ever podcast recorded and produced entirely from prison—was granted a “full and unconditional” pardon by Newsom.

Newsom’s act of clemency for Woods “does not minimize or forgive his conduct or the harm it caused,” but does “recognize the work he has done since to transform himself,” according to the gubernatorial clemency certificate.

Woods was sentenced in 1989 to 10 years in prison for residential burglary and kidnapping, the certificate states. He was 17 years old when he was sentenced.

In 1999, he was sentenced to 31 years to life in prison for attempted second-degree robbery and assault with a firearm, after he and another individual attempted to rob a person at gunpoint.

He launched the “Ear Hustle,” podcast in 2017, sharing the daily realities of life inside prison, and the show became a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in 2020, according to its official website.

In 2018, Woods’s sentence was commuted by former Gov. Jerry Brown, making him eligible for parole. He was released in 2019.

Woods submitted a formal application for executive clemency in the form of a gubernatorial pardon and provided evidence that he is “living an upright life” and has “demonstrated his fitness for restoration of civic rights and responsibilities,” according to the certificate.

The Board of Parole Hearings reviewed Woods’s clemency application and voted at an en banc meeting to recommend a pardon.

Under state law, the California governor does not have the power to pardon or commute the sentences of individuals twice convicted of a felony except without first gaining the approval of the state’s Supreme Court.

The California Supreme Court reviewed his application and also recommended a pardon.

‘Important Part of Criminal Justice System’

Woods thanked the governor for the pardon in a video posted to his official Instagram account on Wednesday.

“Today, I got a call from Gov. Newsom,” Woods said, recounting how the governor had told the former inmate that he appreciated the work he was doing. “So, your boy has been pardoned!”

In announcing the 19 pardons on Wednesday, Newsom’s office said the governor regards clemency as an “important part of the criminal justice system” that can “incentivize accountability and rehabilitation, increase public safety by removing counterproductive barriers to successful reentry, correct unjust results in the legal system, and address the health needs of incarcerated people with high medical risks.”

Newsom has granted a total of 205 pardons since taking office in 2019, according to the statement.

The governor weighs “numerous factors” when reviewing clemency applications, including an applicant’s “self-development and conduct since the offense, whether the grant is in the interest of justice, and the impact of a grant on the community, including crime victims and survivors,” his office said.

Many of the individuals granted clemency by Newsom on Nov. 27 were imprisoned on charges ranging from possessing or selling drugs to armed robbery, burglary, and assault.