Whether the court of appeals improperly denied the Petitioner a certificate of appealability under 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c) on his claim that his counsel were ineffective for failing to advise him regarding available defenses in this case – and whether the district court erred by ruling on this claim without first affording the Petitioner an evidentiary hearing.

Whether the court of appeals improperly denied the Petitioner a certificate of appealability under 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c) on his claim of ineffective assistance of counsel and whether the district court erred by ruling without an evidentiary hearing