Does Tony Goldwyn’s Nicholas Baxter Have a New Girlfriend on Law & Order?
District Attorney Nicholas Baxter, played byTony Goldwyn, dropped some major clues about a new woman in his life on the latest episode of Law & Order.
District Attorney Nicholas Baxter’s marriage may have imploded on Season 23 of Law & Order, but the veteran prosecutor seems to have a new romance brewing.
The Season 24 episode “A Price To Pay,” which debuted on February 27, 2025, offered up some compelling probable cause to suggest that Manhattan’s newly eligible bachelor could be courting someone new.
And when Law & Order’s investigators and attorneys weren’t busy trying to track down and prosecute the killer of an actor with a dangerous ketamine addiction, they were playfully trying to piece together the clues of another mystery: deciphering whether Baxter (Tony Goldwyn) had dipped his toe back into the dating pool.
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Although Baxter played coy for the most part, he did give up a few details about a new mystery woman in his life.
Read on to find out everything that's known so far about the new person of interest in Baxter's orbit.
Who's Nicholas Baxter’s "new friend" Kate on Law & Order?
Fans got the exciting update into District Attorney Baxter's life in the “A Price To Pay" episode after he walked into his office with his assistant, along with Lieutenant Jessica Brady (Maura Tierney) and Assistant District Attorney Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy) and spied a bottle of red wine sitting prominently on his desk.
“Where did that come from?” he asked his assistant.
“Your um, new friend dropped it off,” she told him.
That bit of news clearly caught the attention of Brady and Price, who looked on inquisitively.
“Are we taking questions on that?” Brady asked.
While Baxter didn't reveal too much about his new admirer, he did give the pair a few details. “Her name is Kate. And believe it or not, she likes me,” he told them, before adding, “I will be taking no questions at this time.”
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The trio then got back to talking about the case against ketamine distributor Diane Oliver (Amanda Jaros), known as “Mother K,” who they’d linked to the high-profile murder of the actor.
What happened to Nicholas Baxter’s wife on Law & Order?
Fans may remember that Baxter’s marriage took center stage in Law & Order's Season 23 finale, “In Harm’s Way.”
Baxter’s wife Julia (Tara Westwood) was uncomfortable with his new political aspirations to become the elected district attorney, especially after he became the intended target of a murder plot orchestrated by a dangerous street gang.
The shooter struck at a star-studded gala for the mayor, but instead of striking Baxter, the bullet hit a popular baseball star instead, killing him on the red carpet. The city was quickly put on high-alert as police frantically tracked down the shooter, but to prove the case against him in court, Baxter was forced to put his adult daughter Carrie (played by Goldwyn’s real life daughter Tess Goldwyn) on the stand. Although Carrie’s testimony was critical to proving the shooter had been watching Baxter outside his home before the shooting, it would also put her on the gang’s radar and expose a dark secret from her own past.
Julia had begged Baxter not to force their daughter to testify, arguing that his “obligation to this family” should be stronger than his desire for justice or his determination to win the election (Baxter was initially appointed to a temporary role as DA).
Despite her objections, however, Baxter did what he felt was right and told Price to call his daughter to the stand to make their case. Although his daughter supported his decision, Julia was noticeably absent from his election watch party, and has so far not been seen in Season 24, signaling a break or end to their marriage.
To find out whether Baxter will ever been seen with the new woman in his life, watch new episodes of Law & Order on Thursdays at 8/7c p.m. on NBC or stream episodes when they arrive on Peacock.
