Whether the Court of Appeals' denial of the petitioner's request for a certificate of appealability (COA) was improper"

QUESTION PRESENTED _ . 1. Whether the Court of Appeals' denial of the petitioner's © request for a certificate of appealability ("COA") was. improper ; where it sidestepped the COA process by first deciding the — merits of the petitioner's appeal, and then justifying its , denial of a COA based on its adjudication of the actual merits, © ‘ .in contravention of Buck v. Davis, 580 U.S. __—s(2017)? . -1.