Which actress played ADA Sonya Paxton?

The actress who played ADA Sonya Paxton was Christine Lahti. Paxton was introduced on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit during season 11, when Alexandra Cabot was away handling an appeals-related storyline. As an executive ADA, Paxton brought a forceful and often abrasive style to the Manhattan SVU legal team.

Lahti appeared in the first four episodes of season 11, returned for the eighth episode, and later reprised Paxton in episodes from season 12. The character frequently clashed with detectives and fellow attorneys, particularly Elliot Stabler and Alexandra Cabot. Paxton’s storyline also addressed alcoholism, giving the character a personal struggle beyond courtroom conflict.

Paxton’s tenure ended tragically: she was murdered in the season 12 episode “E.T.A.” Her death made her one of the show’s more short-lived but memorable prosecutors. Viewers sometimes confuse Lahti’s role with Judith Light’s Judge Elizabeth Donnelly or Stephanie March’s ADA Alexandra Cabot. Those are separate characters played by different actresses.