As a criminal court judge, Vincent Gaughan may be sworn to a high level of judicial propriety, but as we saw Tuesday- he lags when it comes to achieving the most basic standard of political correctness.

During a hearing regarding the testimony of Sun-Times music critic Jim DeRogatis, attorneys huddled near his bench. When defense lawyer Sam Adam, Sr. saw that the proceedings were going to take awhile, he brought over a chair- presumably for colleague Eddie Genson, who suffers from a neuromuscular condition.

"Oh no, this ain't the A.D.A. here," Gaughan barked- stopping Adam, Sr. dead in his tracks.

Genson spent the remainder of the hearing seated at the defense table next to his client- a spot often out of earshot of the mumblings from the north side of Courtroom 500.

Apparently in Gaughan's court, the justice stops short of protecting those with disabilities.