Let’s also be very clear that the court is made up of (usually white men) people. There are plenty of appeals cases where the court goes to great lengths to keep someone in prison even when the law is 100% on the side of the wrongfully convicted.
I have read a state supreme court say “yes that is the law (to exonerate them) but still we’re going to find it’s ok (to keep them locked up)”. Like, that was almost verbatim the opinion delivered. Can they do that? Well - yeah. Sure the appellant could try for the SCOTUS but #1 they had no money and #2 they’d lose there too, now.
That is one of the other reasons the criminal clown has gotten away with so much for so long.