Abstract

The essay aims to provide an overview of the way the Italian Constitutional Court has used the so-called living law doctrine for the past five years, taking into account the role played by the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court of Cassation in the constitutional review of legislation. Taking the cue from an empirical analysis, the essay tries to emphasize that, by overcoming past uncertainties on the use of this doctrine, the ICC does not only show an attempt to establish some kind of institutional cooperation, but it also tries to face the recurrent ambiguity of normative texts and the variety of judicial interpretations of the law by anchoring the positive legislation to the living law of the Supreme Court, ultimately trying to guarantee a higher degree of legal certainty.