Insight: For U.S. high court, California justices wrote prologue on marriage

Looking for clues about the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court vote on gay marriage? Check out California's past.

Five years ago, the California high court was divided along similar lines as the U.S. court is today: a single justice was considered the likely swing vote on the constitutionality of gay marriage.

As it turns out, the two justices casting those deciding votes share similar political backgrounds, judicial philosophy and even personal style, raising the possibility they might reach the same conclusion about gay marriage. The California court endorsed it without reservation.