Scribd reports that the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief in support of petitioners who are appealing a decision in federal court that denied their claim challenging a rent control ordinance in Goleta, California.  Petitioners bought a factory-built community in Goleta and had to abide by an existing rent control ordinance.  MHI claims this constitutes a violation of their Fifth Amendment rights, saying the right to make reasonable use of property is a personal right.  The Ninth U.S. District Court upheld the city’s right to enforce rent control.  MHI further says in a previous court case, Palazzolo v. Rhode Island, 533 U.S. 606 (2001), the court ruled that an earlier-enacted property restriction is unconstitutional, and that this legal precedent has not been consistently enforced. The petitioners are appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court.