Today is the day that Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, and his ex-wife and biological mother of two of his children, Debbie Rowe, square it off in court over the temporary custody of Jackson's three minor children, Michael Joseph "Prince" Jackson, Jr., Paris Katherine Michael Jackson, and Prince Michael "Blanket" Jackson II. And while there has been a lot of discussion, debate, and speculation about who Judge Mitchell Beckloff will name today, keep in mind that Michael Jackson took the time to name his mother, Katherine, as the children's guardian in his Last Will and Testament. As we already saw last week when Judge Beckloff appointed John Branca and John McClain as temporary co-executors of Michael Jackson's estate, the judge followed Jackson's written instructions in his will because that's really the reason for making a Last Will and Testament - to express your personal wishes as to who should get what, who should be in charge of cleaning up your financial matters, and, most importantly for those with minor children, who should take care of the children.
And while appointing a guardian for minor children is much different from appointing an executor of the estate from a legal perspective, let's face it - Debbie Rowe is not your typical divorced parent who has split time with her ex-husband in order to raise their children. So while under normal circumstances the interests of the children's biological mother would be weighed heavily against the deceased parent's written wishes in their Last Will and Testament, these are certainly not normal circumstances. And while many (including me) have questioned Michael Jackson's choice of his elderly mother and Diana Ross as the guardians for his children, he obviously took the time to think about it when he wrote his will, and he clearly did not choose Debbie Rowe.
The bottom line is that Judge Beckloff will not only consider Michael Jackson's written wishes in his Last Will and Testament but also the best interests of his three children, and Debbie Rowe's lack of involvement with the children over the years coupled with Rowe's behavior in the days following Michael Jackson's death should be enough to seal the deal for Katherine Jackson.
UPDATE - The hearing on this matter has once again been postponed. The new hearing date is Monday, July 20, 2009. Rumors are flying that Katherine Jackson and Debbie Rowe are trying to work out a deal because Rowe is broke and Joe Jackson has also thrown his hat into the ring: Michael Jackson's Children: Custody Hearing with Joe Jackson and Debbie Rowe?