Running release 3.2.9 Build 16.
When the console is locked out I still have the ability to add new tabs, edit current tabs, and scroll through displays.
I also managed to create a new direct select based on what was previously in the command line. In this case I had just opened a magic sheet, locked the console, then clicked on a blank direct select on a custom direct select display - which created a new direct select for that magic sheet.