DeCato v. United States

Petitioner Richard J. DeCato Jr. has applied for a certificate of appealability (COA) in order to appeal from the dismissal of his habeas petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2255. To qualify for a COA, he must make “a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right.” Id. § 2253(c)(2). This standard requires a demonstration that “reasonable jurists could debate whether ... the petition should have been resolved in a different manner or that the issues presented were ‘adequate to deserve encouragement to proceed further.’ ” Slack v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484, 120 S.Ct. 1595, 146 L.Ed.2d…