North Carolina’s outgoing Democratic Governor Roy Cooper has commuted the sentences of 15 people on death row to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Cooper announced the commutations on Tuesday as one of his final acts as governor, before Democratic Governor-elect Josh Stein took the oath of office on New Year’s Day.

The ACLU of North Carolina welcomed the commutations, writing, “We have long known that the death penalty in North Carolina is racially biased, unjust, and immoral, and the Governor’s actions today pave the way for our state to move towards a new era of justice.” The ACLU added, “With 121 people still on death row in our state, we know there is much more work to be done.”