Celebrity | Michael Jackson Katherine Jackson Gets Custody By Evann Gastaldo Posted Aug 3, 2009 12:01 PM CDT Copied In this June 13, 2005 file photo, Michael Jackson and his mother, Katherine, leave Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria, Calif., after he was acquitted in his child molestation case. (AP Photo/John G. Mabanglo, Pool) A judge signed off today on last week’s unofficial custody arrangement for Michael Jackson’s children, appointing Katherine Jackson as the permanent guardian of all three, the AP reports. Jackson’s mother, 79, was the first choice given in his will to raise the children, and is the only person to formally petition for custody. Paris and Prince reportedly signed statements saying they wished to remain with their grandmother. Read These Next Defense officials react to Hegseth's Quantico meeting. Government shutdown is here. Here's what to expect. President asks nation's top generals to loosen up. Turns out life on the California coast isn't always breezy. Report an error