James C. Tormey III, administrative judge for the fifth district and a Supreme Court justice, died Saturday after a brief illness.

He oversaw the construction of new court facilities in six counties over his nearly 20-year tenure. He established peer review and mentoring programs for town and village justices, initiated centralized arraignment in Onondaga and Oneida counties, led pro bono and access-to-justice Initiatives and held yearly education conferences for Judges.