Help Isaiah obtain time with his children

My name is Isaiah Lockhart. I am a loving dad, husband, and a professional drummer. My wife Lynn and I along with our youngest son Tavian live in Southwest Missouri, where she is a burn nurse at a local hospital.

Why I Started This Campaign:

My oldest two children, Ryker and Ruby, were recently taken from me through family court.  You probably believe that most dads are absent by choice, and that I fought against that notion to be with them. That is halfway true; but most dads DO want to be in their children's lives, but family courts systematically make that impossible. In November of last year, I relocated about 8 miles south into a different - much better - school district, for the benefit of my older two children. This move prompted their mother to file a motion to prevent my relocation. After $13,000+ in attorney fees and 2 hearings later, the courts decided that my move was "disingenuous" to their mother, in spite of offering to meet to alleviate drive time (12-17 minutes). The court's decision also changes my visitation ("visitation"... for my own children...) from 15-16 overnights per month, to just 4.
Legislation is currently pending in Missouri that would help my fight for 50/50 time with my children, but it may take up to a year or more to pass. Even still, that begins an entirely new process in fighting for simple equality. There are a multitude of studies and statistics on fatherless households, all of which highlight the importance of dads in their kid's lives. Even the Eastern District of Missouri Appellate Court has stated that this minimum contact schedule does not meet "the best interests of the children," which I intend to include in my appeal.

What The Money Is For:

This battle has exhausted almost all of our resources, and we are both baffled and distraught after reading the "judgement" that the judge hastily issued. For those wondering, the process to fight this judgement is called filing for an appeal. An appeal is essentially a dissection of the judgement that was issued, with a point by point basis for the grievances and violation of statutes, etc., that I (and my attorney) find and must list out. It is an intense process that all too few fathers and other alienated parent's pursue, and is a costly one at that. Justice, and basic equality, is unfortunately expensive. This money would be used to file the appeal by hiring one of the few attorneys in the area that actually handle appeals (there really are only a handful of them). 

My Hope For This Outcome:

My situation is somewhat unique, as Missouri is one of the first states to pursue a true 50/50 custody arrangement from the beginning of a divorce. Most fathers are moving from a minimum contact (One evening per week, and every other weekend for 2 nights), TO a 50/50 schedule. This change, however, is not being followed by my judge and many others. I am attending school to pursue becoming a lawyer myself, because of how mind-boggling the way our courts operate is. No father should have to spend $40,000 just to see his children, which is where I'm at... and climbing. There are countless other fathers who have spent just as much if not more, and that does not sit well with me.

I am not one to sit idly by and let injustices go unchecked, no matter how protected or "routine" this corrupt system is. In appealing this case, and winning, it would  set a precedent that other courts would HAVE to follow; giving other fathers their basic right to be with their children.

Thank you for reading, and please know that anything helps.

Funded Justice