The government didn't invalidate a legal contract; the contract is simply no longer legal. If your position is that the government should never make laws that c

The government didn't invalidate a legal contract; the contract is simply no longer legal. If your position is that the government should never make laws that contravene existing practices, then I have to disagree. In practice, that would mean the government could never make any laws, or could only make laws that have no practical effect, because everyone was already obeying them of their own accord. Also note that in this particular case, "in 2011 they’d been told there was no issue with their gardens, and also that before 2017, they’d received no violations for their yard despite regular inspections", and note that the legal dispute between the couple and the HOA was settled outside of court; that is to say the parties came to an agreement outside of the formal legal system.