Someone replied and then deleted (which is fine). IIRC they said something like "a/this court order isn't creating a master key." (my words, summarizing from memory).

Which is technically true. But consider each event a black box, into which you throw a targeted phone, and it comes out unlocked. Whether that was through unique effort for each case, a general capability developed and archived by Apple, or even an actual backdoor/masterkey developed by Apple out of exasperation from the expense of being legally compelled in each individual case and others to come, the effect is the same, the phone is reliably opened.