Conrad Murray to Keep Medical License As Michael Jackson's Family Fights

June 14, 2010 — -- Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's personal physician, may be facing trial on a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the pop icon's death, but he can still practice medicine in California.

At a hearing today, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor refused to suspend Murray's California medical license despite a request by state authorities to bar him from praticing, saying he did not have the authority to revoke it.

A preliminary hearing in Murray's manslaughter trial was set for August 23.

Ahead of Murray's hearing, dozens of Jackson fans protested outside the courthouse, holding signs and demanding justice for the late king of pop. The doctor stands accused of administering the lethal dose of the powerful sedative Propofol that killed Jackson, who died on June 25, 2009. Murray pleaded not guilty to manslaughter in February and remains free on $75,000 bail.

The cardiologist has continued to work in Houston and Las Vegas, where he maintains practices. His attorney, Ed Chernoff, has argued that the loss of Murray's California medical license will negatively affect his Texas and Nevada operations, and filed court papers Friday revealing that those states have allowed Murray to practice provided he doesn't administer sedatives like Propofol.

Murray gained a much-needed dose of good press last month when helped revive a woman who became unconscious on a US Airways flight from Houston to Phoenix.