Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald ordered all state trials in civil, criminal and family courts be postponed until May 29 or the termination of Gov. David Ige’s state of emergency, whichever is sooner, the state Judiciary announced Friday.

The exception would be if the chief judge of a circuit court orders otherwise.

Recktenwald also ordered the formation of the Committee on Operational Solutions, which would accelerate the courts’ capabilities to conduct proceedings remotely due to the COVID-19 crisis, the Judiciary said in a news release. It would also plan for the timely transition to return to increased court operations in the coming months.

Recktenwald said, “While our community has responded well to stay-at-home orders and the results of these public health measures have been encouraging, the Judiciary must continue to do our part to protect the health and safety of our court personnel and court users.”

He encouraged the continued use of teleconferencing and videoconferencing to address as many cases as possible, as appropriate.