Cite as: 529 U. S. 420 (2000)
Opinion of the Court
tioned attorneys?" Stinnett again said nothing, despite the fact Woodson had represented her during her divorce from Meinhard. App. 483, 485.
In an affidavit she provided in the federal habeas proceedings, Stinnett claimed "[she] did not respond to the judge's [first] question because [she] did not consider [herself] 'related' to Claude Meinhard in 1994 [at voir dire] . . . . Once our marriage ended in 1979, I was no longer related to him." Id., at 627. As for Woodson's earlier representation of her, Stinnett explained as follows:
"When Claude and I divorced in 1979, the divorce was uncontested and Mr. Woodson drew up the papers so that the divorce could be completed. Since neither Claude nor I was contesting anything, I didn't think Mr. Woodson 'represented' either one of us." Id., at 628.
Woodson provided an affidavit in which he admitted "[he] was aware that Juror Bonnie Stinnett was the ex-wife of then Deputy Sheriff Claude Meinhard and [he] was aware that they had been divorced for some time." Id., at 629. Woodson stated, however, "[t]o [his] mind, people who are related only by marriage are no longer 'related' once the marriage ends in divorce." Ibid. Woodson also "had no recollection of having been involved as a private attorney in the divorce proceedings between Claude Meinhard and Bonnie Stinnett." Id., at 629-630. He explained that "[w]hat-ever [his] involvement was in the 1979 divorce, by the time of trial in 1994 [he] had completely forgotten about it." Id., at 630.
Even if Stinnett had been correct in her technical or literal interpretation of the question relating to Meinhard, her silence after the first question was asked could suggest to the finder of fact an unwillingness to be forthcoming; this in turn could bear on the veracity of her explanation for not disclosing that Woodson had been her attorney. Stinnett's failure to divulge material information in response to the second
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