A customer walks out after shopping at an Apple store in downtown Shanghai. Reuters/Carlos Barria
Judge Lucy Koh, however, became frustrated as Lee said he could call 22 witnesses in four hours.
“Unless you're smoking crack, you know these witnesses aren't going to be called,” the BBC quoted Judge Koh, as saying.
The clash, reported by the Verge news site, took place close to the end of the trial in a Silicon Valley court.
According to the report, the judge wants closing arguments to be presented next week, and has given each side a maximum of 25 hours to make its case.
Apple has accused Samsung of copying the design and some features of its iPad and iPhone, and is asking for a sales ban in addition to monetary damages.
While the South Korean mobile maker, Samsung, claims Apple infringed several patents, including some for its key wireless technology.