NASHUA – A blogger with a history of getting under the skin of conservative politicians has sued former Attorney General Kelly Ayotte, the city and state Republican committees, and the Nashua Police Department, saying he was removed or barred from three recent Republican events.

Christopher King, of Nashua, filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Hillsborough County Superior Court. King alleges that as a journalist he was unconstitutionally removed or barred from an Aug. 29 Facebook rally in Manchester to support former attorney general and U.S. Senate candidate Kelly Ayotte; a Nashua rally on Oct. 2 for Ayotte attended by U.S. Sen. and former presidential candidate John McCain; and a Sept. 12 Nashua GOP fundraiser featuring Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona.

In the lawsuit, King is seeking immediate injunctive relief that would prevent him from being banned from future political rallies. He is also asking the court to declare that removing him from the rallies was unconstitutional, and is asking for unspecified compensatory and punitive monetary damages.

Despite his request for an immediate injunction, Judge Robert Lynn scheduled a hearing for Nov. 17, two weeks after the election in which Ayotte is opposing Democratic U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes for a U.S. Senate.

King said he would file today a motion today to reconsider the hearing date. He also asked the judge to recuse himself from the case, claiming that Lynn is biased against him, based on comments the judge made in a previous case, King said

Among the legal questions the suit could potentially raise is whether a private gathering that vigorously seeks media coverage can bar or expel some reporters but not others. It also raises the question of whether the author of an opinionated blog should be afforded the same protections as a mainstream newspaper, television or radio reporter.

King says he just wants to be able to cover political rallies as would any other journalist, mainstream or not.

He “didn’t cease to be a journalist” when he stopped writing for a newspaper and created a blog called KingCast, King said.

King reported for the Indianapolis Star in 1990 before attending law school. King attached one of his articles from the Star as an addendum to his lawsuit.

King said he also served for a year as editor of the Cincinnati branch of a statewide weekly newspaper that served African-American readers, The Ohio Call & Post, and wrote freelance magazine articles.

His blog KingCast is sarcastic and often acidic. Over the past several years, one of its most frequent targets has been Ayotte.

King has been especially critical of Ayotte’s handling of a 2007 incident in Franconia. In that incident, a police officer was shot and killed, and his assailant killed by a passer-by.

In his lawsuit, King said that Ayotte’s campaign has treated him differently than it does other journalists.

“I didn’t cease to be a journalist because she doesn’t like my viewpoint,” he said, referring to Ayotte.

Video clips on KingCast show King with a camera attempting to question Ayotte at the Arpaio fund-raiser. Republican officials approached Nashua police, who asked King to leave.

Defendants in the lawsuit say that King doesn’t have a legal leg to stand on.

“This is baseless and we will file a motion to dismiss,” said Jeff Grappone, spokesman for the Ayotte campaign.

Ryan Williams, spokesman for the New Hampshire Republican Party, declined to comment on the suit.

“I don’t think the Nashua Republican City Committee did anything wrong,” said Dennis Hogan, the committee chair.

Hogan said King wasn’t forcefully removed from the Arpaio rally.

“He left voluntarily. I know that from his own video,” Hogan said.

King also wasn’t barred from four subsequent Nashua Republican events “any one of which he could have come to, but didn’t,” Hogan said.

“I’m very aware of Mr. King and his actions and behavior regarding his contact with certain members of my staff and certain members of the Republican Party in the state of New Hampshire,” Nashua Police Chief Donald Conley said.

Conley said he’s confident that the facts will reveal the Nashua Police Department acted “very professionally toward all involved.”

King had already filed a compliant against police and the city of Nashua related to the Sept. 12 fundraiser.

A video of the Sept. 12 fundraiser posted on KingCast showed a campaign worker using papers to block King’s camera. He also was removed from the Crowne Plaza hotel by police at the request of GOP officials.

King is no stranger to controversy. His license to practice law was suspended for one year in 2002, and he hasn’t had it reinstated.

In 2005, King was indicted for trying to extort the town of Jaffrey by falsely claiming he represented the NAACP and demanding $65,000 in restitution for the arrest of a black man.

King said the organization knew of his actions and he was “thrown under the bus” by NAACP officials.

The charges were eventually dismissed.

In other instances, King has threatened to sue individuals and media outlets for alleged defamation.

Some see King as a champion of First Amendment rights. For example, he teamed up with a former city alderman in fighting to allow public comment at city board of education meetings, and King won a commendation for his efforts from former Mayor Bernie Streeter.

“My record is almost impeccable when it comes to First Amendment issues. I’m a monster,” King said.

Patrick Meighan can be reached at 594-6518 or pmeighan@nashuatelegraph.com.