During the Ottoman Empire period, there wasn’t any trace of the supreme court until 19.th century. The First Court of Appeal which was called “Divan-ı Ahkam-ı Adliye“ (the Tribunal of Judicial Verdicts) was founded during the reign of Abdülaziz on March 6, 1868. The first president of the supreme court was Ahmet Cevdet Pasha ,the governor of Halep who put great effort for its foundation. Two thirds of the members of the court were from muslim communities. The others were minority (non muslim communities). 

The name of the supreme court “Divan-ı Ahkam-ı Adliye” was changed to “Mahkeme-i Temyiz” (Appeal Court) by the act of courts foundation on 18.6.1879. 

Mahkeme-i Temyiz transferred its case files to the Temprorary Committee of Appeals (Muvakkat Temyiz Heyeti ), which was founded on June 7, 1920 in Sivas (a province in Central Anatolia Region) by the goverment of Turkish National Assembly that replaced the Ottoman Empire upon its destruction. 

The Temprorary Committee of Appeals was moved from Sivas to Eskişehir (another province in Central Anatolia Region) on November 14 th,1923 by the act numbered 371 because Eskişehir had better transportation facilities due to its location on the intersection railroads. The Committee’s name was changed into the Court of Appeals (Temyiz Mahkemesi) on 14 November 1923.  

In 1935 The Court of Appeals moved to its new building which was built by the renowned Australian architect Prof.Clemens Holzmeister in Ankara which was the capital of the newly founded Turkish Republic and where all public institutions located. The new building was quite modern when compared with the other buildings.  

On January 10,1945 the name of the Court of Appeals was renamed as the Court of Cassation  (Yargıtay)” by the Law no. 4695. 

The latest law no. 2797 for the Court of Cassation has been in use since February 4,1983.