Just hours short of her deadline, Pam Bondi has in fact formally objected to lifting Judge Robert L. Hinkle’s stay on his ruling that would have effectively legalized same-sex marriage in the Sunshine State.

As Halloween Week looms upon us, Attorney General Pam Bondi had until 11:59 tonight to object to federal Judge Robert L. Hinkle’s lifting a stay on his ruling that would allow same-sex couples to marry in Florida. Judge Hinkle had given Bondi 17 days to object to the ACLU’s request that the stay be lifted in view of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to hear appeals in similar cases from Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia, Wisconsin and Indiana, where lower courts had ruled same-sex marriage bans in those states to be unconstitutional.

It is widely considered that Judge Hinkle will give Bondi additional time to take the case to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, which has jurisdiction over three Southern states, including Florida. There, she may have a better chance at finding a sympathetic ear. Her maneuvers are likely to push a final settlement of the issue for Florida past the November 4 elections, thereby avoiding stirring up voter passions for Democratic candidates, who generally support same-sex marriage.

Earlier in the week, Pam Bondi had formally blocked granting a request by a same-sex couple in Lake Worth to get a divorce, signaling that the Attorney General has every intention of continuing her opposition to any kind of recognition of same-sex unions.