Bill > SR23

Introduced Session

This Senate Resolution urges Cuba to extradite Joanne Chesimard to the United States. Joanne Chesimard, also known as Assata Shakur, was convicted in 1977 of the May 2, 1973 murder of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster and wounding of New Jersey State Trooper James Harper during a shoot-out on the New Jersey Turnpike. After being pulled over for a routine traffic stop, Joanne Chesimard and fellow members of the radical Black Liberation Army opened fire on Troopers Foerster and Harper, and Joanne Chesimard eventually killed Trooper Foerster by shooting him in the head as he lay wounded by gunfire. In 1977, Joanne Chesimard was sentenced to life in prison, but two years later she escaped from a maximum security cell in what is now the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Union Township, New Jersey. Joanne Chesimard later fled to Cuba, where she was granted political asylum and has lived ever since. State authorities have made numerous efforts to extradite Joanne Chesimard and in 2013, Joanne Chesimard was the first woman named to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's most wanted terrorist list. President Obama recently announced that the United States will restore diplomatic relations it severed with Cuba more than 50 years ago. In light of this re-establishment of relations, Cuba is urged to extradite Joanne Chesimard to the United States so that she may be brought to justice for the murder of a dedicated law enforcement officer.

Committee Categories

Joe Pennacchio (R)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document