A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge issued a ruling this morning granting temporary guardianship of Michael Jackson’s three children to his mother, Katherine Jackson. Judge Mitchell Beckloff has set a hearing for July 6 at 8:30 a.m. for the case, where the children do not have to be present.

Prince Michael Jr., 12, Paris Michael Katherine, 11, and Prince Michael II, 7, are living with their grandmother and their grandfather, Joe Jackson, and have a “long established relationship” with her, the filing stated.

My gosh, I didn’t realize those kids have gotten to be so old! In my mind, they’re all still little babies, but Prince and Paris are in middle-school by now. The fact that I was unaware of their ages speaks volumes about what a good job the Jackson family has done of keeping them out of the spotlight. I wonder if they’ll eventually decide they want to be public figures. I don’t know why, but I have this hunch that in ten years we’re going to be seeing the Prince Michael Jackson album shoot to the top of the charts.

Anyway, Debbie Rowe (who’s the biological mother of the two older kids — the youngest was conceived by a surrogate), is still seeking custody of the children. I don’t know all the legal ins and outs here, but I do know that courts are almost always inclined to grant custody to the biological mother in cases like this. (I know that from attending my law school, Law & Order, for over a decade.) I can only hope they make the decision that’s in the best interest of these children.